Thinfilm builds first stand-alone printed electronics sensor system

 

Thin Film Electronics ASA (Thinfilm) recently announced that it has successfully built its first fully functional, stand-alone Smart Sensor Label. The temperature-tracking system, designed for monitoring of perishable goods, is said to demonstrate a complete closed system made from printed and organic electronics.

It is solely powered by batteries, which according to Christer Karlsson, CTO of Thinfilm, is what makes this system special: “A key breakthrough for this demo was the low-voltage complementary logic we announced in June of this year. Polyera and our other materials partners have played an essential role in helping us move products forward.”

In the system organic logic detects that a critical temperature threshold has been exceeded and signals the display driver to turn on a segmented display. In future the label according to Thinfilm will help pharmaceutical companies keep temperature-sensitive products safe and effective, while preventing the unnecessary destruction of usable products. Retailers using temperature-monitoring labels during shipment of produce and other food products will have immediate insight with regards to both shelf life and food safety.