Currently, the most interesting and fastest-growing application areas of printed electronics are in the sectors of wearables, automotive and in the Internet of Things. Smart labels, smart watches, intelligent clothing and dashboards are just a few examples of end-use products which printed electronics can be integrated into.
LASSIE-FP7 (Large Area Solid State Intelligent Efficient Luminaires), a European project, is pushing back the boundaries in the lighting industry. The module developed by the consortium led by CSEM, a Swiss micro- and nanotechnology research institute, is reported to strengthen the range of tools available to the European lighting industry and offers an innovative solution providing exceptional light quality and colour rendering that stands the test of time.
NIST research has found that the flexible plastic membrane on which wearables would be built might work better if the membrane had microscopic holes in it (photo: NIST)
In science, sometimes the best discoveries come when you’re exploring something else entirely. That’s the case with recent findings from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where a research team has come up with a way to build safe, nontoxic gold wires onto flexible, thin plastic film. Their demonstration potentially clears the path for a host of wearable electronic devices that monitor our health.
