Printed Electronics Technology

A smart skin that will give robots more sensitive tactile feeling than humans. The smart skin technology allows the robots to sense temperature changes and surface variations, which would allow a person alongside the robot to be safer or react accordingly.

OLED microdisplays are increasingly establishing themselves in consumer-ready wearables and data glasses. In order to meet the requirements for higher efficiency, higher contrast, and higher resolutions in these applications, scientists have developed a new micropatterning approach for OLEDs on silicon substrates.

Rebar graphene is the nanoscale analog of rebar (reinforcement bars) in concrete, in which embedded steel bars enhance the material's strength and durability. Rebar graphene, developed by the Rice lab of chemist James Tour in 2014, uses carbon nanotubes for reinforcement.

Robotic lawn mowers are great for cutting the grass, but they do pose a risk of injury to children playing nearby. Highly advanced sensors developed by researchers ensure that the lawn mower shuts down when children are in close proximity.

The University of Central Lancashire has unveiled the world's first graphene skinned plane at an internationally renowned air show.

Brite Solar was founded in 2009 and is one of the only startups developing both a novel, third-generation dye-sensitised solar cell for greenhouse applications, and a "dynamic glass", which utilises an electrochromic technology.

The Centre for Process Innovation is working as part of a consortium to improve airtight bonding in OLED lighting for aerospace and defence applications.

Researchers have developed a chip that can detect a type of genetic mutation known as a single nucleotide polymorphism and wirelessly send the results in real time to a smartphone, computer, or other electronic device. The chip is at least 1,000 times more sensitive at detecting an SNP than current technology.

Thin-film solar cells could be 1/100th the thickness of a piece of paper and flexible enough to festoon surfaces ranging from an aerodynamically sleek car to clothing. To make thin-film solar cells, scientists are moving beyond the "classic" semiconductor compounds, such as gallium arsenide or silicon, and working instead with other light-harvesting compounds that have the potential to be cheaper and easier to mass produce. The compounds could be…

Sodium-ion batteries have potential to replace the currently used lithium-ion batteries by using the cheaper (less than a thirtieth of the cost of lithium) and more abundant sodium resource. This has particular potential in Saudi Arabia, where sodium is readily available and easily extracted as a byproduct of water desalination, a significant source of potable water in the country.