Smart materials and embedded electronics create the conditions for innovative design and new applications in the field of intelligent textiles, electronic interconnections, controls and displays. The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC (Würzburg, Germany) with its Center Smart Materials is working on silicon-based materials, adapted printing pastes and efficient production technologies in order to exploit the application potential of expandable sensors and conductors, to inspire new product ideas and to accelerate the implementation.
Imec (Leuven, Belgium), a leading research and innovaton hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, and its spin-off Bloomlife have unveiled a prototype of the world’s first wearable 5-channel electrocardiogram (ECG) chip to continuously and accurately monitor fetal heart rate and mobility, two important indicators of a baby’s wellbeing. With the development of this chip, a major hurdle has been taken in the creation of a wearable ECG system that can accurately measure the fetal ECG as early as week 20 in a woman’s pregnancy.
Marking the initial closing of its Series C funding round, CYNORA (Bruchsal, Germany) announced that it has secured US$25M in financing from investors in Asia, Europe and the US. The company is an emerging materials leader with a novel technology to produce ultra-high-efficiency emitter systems required for next-generation Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays. The company has raised US$80M since its inception in 2008. Final closing of the C round with an additional investment is expected shortly.
