Japan Display Inc. (JDI) has developed a capacitive-type flexible fingerprint sensor by integrating its capacitive-type glass-based fingerprint sensor technology and flexible display technology. JDI has been developing large-sized sensors and transparent sensors that enhance product design by taking further advantage of the features of glass-based fingerprint sensors currently being mass-produced.
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.
