Stretchable Electronics

The new IDTechEx report, Energy Harvesting: Off-grid Microwatt to Megawatt 2017-2027 concerns a system architecture that can be summarised as follows.

The first generation of wearable devices are constructed using mature, rigid technologies put inside a new box that can be worn. These are often bulky devices that are not truly wearable in the sense that our clothes are. This is, however, beginning to change, albeit slowly.

The brand new report from IDTechEx Research, Lithium-ion Batteries 2016-2026, finds that at around $140 billion in 2026, the lithium-ion battery business will dominate the battery business.

IDTechEx has been following the printed electronics market for fifteen years. In this article we provide ten brief updates across different parts of the industry.

This short video will focus on the expectations of printed electronics technologies in the automotive industry over the next decade.

The conductive inks and paste business will generate a demand of 1800 tonnes. IDTechEx Research forecasts that this will grow to 2200 by 2026. This business has come alive again and is now a business where literally everything is changing.

The battery market has suddenly become alive again in recent years. On the one hand, batteries are assuming new form factors, becoming ultra-thin, flexible, rollable, stretchable, etc. On the other hand, manufacturing are scrambling to offer large batteries aimed at addressing the large-sized electric vehicle and grid applications.

The automotive sector has always been a multi-faceted industry to understand; it has driven and adopted societal and technological change since its inception, and is probably a great example of a market that constantly evolves and re-defines itself, always innovating to meet consumer expectations.

Installing photovoltaics in roads seems a daft idea at first. It sounds expensive and unlikely to work unless cleaned, free of snow and ice and in direct sunlight - all too infrequent in most places. Indeed, roads are constantly dug up by utilities, repairmen and others. How do you do that with sheets of glass?

Printed and flexible electronics are beginning to proliferate, with a variety of components and devices coming to market. Several end-user verticals are expected to benefit from the host of advantages these technologies offer and the automotive sector is no exception.