In this episode, we discuss a novel sticker capable of monitoring the health of organs in real time allowing for more successful organ transplants and catching signs of diseases earlier than ever!

Podcast: Sticker to Monitor Your Internal Organs

In this episode, we discuss the shortcomings of previous attempts at making flexible wearable sensors and how researchers at CalTech have addressed them to create high performance stress sensor stickers.

Stress Sensing Stickers

This article was discussed in our <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Next Byte podcast</a>.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/1e9bb08c-384a-4d12-983e-8af2e63c741b?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> The full article will continue below.<hr>MIT engineers have developed a small ultrasound sticker that can monitor the stiffness of organs deep inside the body. The sticker, about the size of a postage stamp, can be worn on the skin and is designed to pick up on signs of disease, such as liver and kidney failure and the progression of solid tumors.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzA3NzI0MzU5MjkzLU1JVC1TZWVpbmdTdGlmZm5lc3MtMDEtcHJlc3NfMC5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">A small ultrasound sticker, worn on the skin, can monitor the stiffness of organs deep inside the body. The MIT-developed sensor could detect signs of disease such as liver and kidney failure, and the progression of solid tumors. Image: Courtesy of the researchersIn an <a href="https://science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adk8426" target="_blank">open-access study appearing today</a> in Science Advances, the team reports that the sensor can send sound waves through the skin and into the body, where the waves reflect off internal organs and back out to the sticker. The pattern of the reflected waves can be read as a signature of organ rigidity, which the sticker can measure and track.“When some organs undergo disease, they can stiffen over time,” says the senior author of the paper, Xuanhe Zhao, professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. “With this wearable sticker, we can continuously monitor changes in rigidity over long periods of time, which is crucially important for early diagnosis of internal organ failure.”The team has demonstrated that the sticker can continuously monitor the stiffness of organs over 48 hours and detect subtle changes that could signal the progression of disease. In preliminary experiments, the researchers found that the sticky sensor can detect early signs of acute liver failure in rats.The engineers are working to adapt the design for use in humans. They envision that the sticker could be used in intensive care units (ICUs), where the low-profile sensors could continuously monitor patients who are recovering from organ transplants.“We imagine that, just after a liver or kidney transplant, we could adhere this sticker to a patient and observe how the rigidity of the organ changes over days,” lead author Hsiao-Chuan Liu says. “If there is any early diagnosis of acute liver failure, doctors can immediately take action instead of waiting until the condition becomes severe.” Liu was a visiting scientist at MIT at the time of the study and is currently an assistant professor at the University of Southern California.The study’s MIT co-authors include Xiaoyu Chen and Chonghe Wang, along with collaborators at USC.Sensing wobblesLike our muscles, the tissues and organs in our body stiffen as we age. With certain diseases, stiffening organs can become more pronounced, signaling a potentially precipitous health decline. Clinicians currently have ways to measure the stiffness of organs such as the kidneys and liver using ultrasound elastography — a technique similar to ultrasound imaging, in which a technician manipulates a handheld probe or wand over the skin. The probe sends sound waves through the body, which cause internal organs to vibrate slightly and send waves out in return. The probe senses an organ’s induced vibrations, and the pattern of the vibrations can be translated into how wobbly or stiff the organ must be.Ultrasound elastography is typically used in the ICU to monitor patients who have recently undergone an organ transplant. Technicians periodically check in on a patient shortly after surgery to quickly probe the new organ and look for signs of stiffening and potential acute failure or rejection.“After organ transplantation, the first 72 hours is most crucial in the ICU,” says another senior author, Qifa Zhou, a professor at USC. “With traditional ultrasound, you need to hold a probe to the body. But you can’t do this continuously over the long term. Doctors might miss a crucial moment and realize too late that the organ is failing.”The team realized that they might be able to provide a more continuous, wearable alternative. Their solution expands on an <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2022/ultrasound-stickers-0728" target="_blank">ultrasound sticker</a> they previously developed to image deep tissues and organs.“Our imaging sticker picked up on longitudinal waves, whereas this time we wanted to pick up shear waves, which will tell you the rigidity of the organ,” Zhao explains.Existing ultrasound elastrography probes measure shear waves, or an organ’s vibration in response to sonic impulses. The faster a shear wave travels in the organ, the stiffer the organ is interpreted to be. (Think of the bounce-back of a water balloon compared to a soccer ball.)The team looked to miniaturize ultrasound elastography to fit on a stamp-sized sticker. They also aimed to retain the same sensitivity of commercial hand-held probes, which typically incorporate about 128 piezoelectric transducers, each of which transforms an incoming electric field into outgoing sound waves.“We used advanced fabrication techniques to cut small transducers from high-quality piezoelectric materials that allowed us to design miniaturized ultrasound stickers,” Zhou says.The researchers precisely fabricated 128 miniature transducers that they incorporated onto a 25-millimeter-square chip. They lined the chip’s underside with an adhesive made from hydrogel — a sticky and stretchy material that is a mixture of water and polymer, which allows sound waves to travel into and out of the device almost without loss.In preliminary experiments, the team tested the stiffness-sensing sticker in rats. They found that the stickers were able to take continuous measurements of liver stiffness over 48 hours. From the sticker’s collected data, the researchers observed clear and early signs of acute liver failure, which they later confirmed with tissue samples.“Once liver goes into failure, the organ will increase in rigidity by multiple times,” Liu notes.“You can go from a healthy liver as wobbly as a soft-boiled egg, to a diseased liver that is more like a hard-boiled egg,” Zhao adds. “And this sticker can pick up on those differences deep inside the body and provide an alert when organ failure occurs.”The team is working with clinicians to adapt the sticker for use in patients recovering from organ transplants in the ICU. In that scenario, they don’t anticipate much change to the sticker’s current design, as it can be stuck to a patient’s skin, and any sound waves that it sends and receives can be delivered and collected by electronics that connect to the sticker, similar to electrodes and EKG machines in a doctor’s office.“The real beauty of this system is that since it is now wearable, it would allow low-weight, conformable, and sustained monitoring over time,” says Shrike Zhang,&nbsp;an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate bioengineer at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who was not involved with the study. “This would likely not only allow patients to suffer less while achieving prolonged, almost real-time monitoring of their disease progression, but also free trained hospital personnel to other important tasks.”The researchers are also hoping to work the sticker into a more portable, self-enclosed version, where all its accompanying electronics and processing is miniaturized to fit into a slightly larger patch. Then, they envision that the sticker could be worn by patients at home, to continuously monitor conditions over longer periods, such as the progression of solid tumors, which are known to harden with severity.“We believe this is a life-saving technology platform,” Zhao says. “In the future, we think that people can adhere a few stickers to their body to measure many vital signals, and image and track the health of major organs in the body.”

“We used advanced fabrication techniques to cut small transducers from high-quality piezoelectric materials that allowed us to design miniaturized ultrasound stickers,” Xuanhe Zhao, professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, says. Image: Courtesy of the researchers

The sticky, wearable sensor could help identify early signs of acute liver failure.

This ultrasound sticker senses changing stiffness of deep internal organs

The adoption of healthcare monitoring devices that are both flexible and conform to the wearer have gained traction1. Spurred on by the need for remote care during the COVID-19 pandemic and technological advances in sensor accuracy, wearable health monitoring devices have become more ubiquitous in many areas of healthcare. In particular, there has been a rise in the development of wearable sensing and monitoring devices for telemedicine operations. Telemedicine has grown significantly in the last few years—and even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic when doctor-patient contact was limited—to remotely monitor patients in their own homes so hospitals could free up much-needed beds. While wearable technologies can be used in clinical environments to provide an analysis, much of their potential is in remote health monitoring.These wearable sensing devices typically make use of flexible materials, such as polymers, thin films, 2D materials and other nanomaterials. Health monitoring devices often consist of a flexible material that conforms to the wearer and is integrated with electronic components, including sensors, a power source—be it a battery, solar cell, or some other type of energy harvester like a nanogenerator—communication technologies if it transmits data to a central processing system, and any relevant circuitry.Building electronic components that are small and flexible enough to be used in wearable technologies is not that straightforward, and is why different nanomaterials—especially 2D materials—are often used to create the components because they fit the bill and can be easily integrated. But another approach is gathering interest: printing sensors—the most crucial aspects of a monitoring system—directly onto the wearable device.These printed sensors are sometimes made of 2D materials and other nanomaterials, but other materials can also be used as well. The ability to print sensors onto wearable health monitoring devices could pave a way to a much simpler and easier route to commercializing more wearable monitoring devices—especially if conventional, inexpensive, or easy-to-use printing technologies are used to print the sensor.<h2>Why Printed Sensors?</h2>While a range of advanced deposition and nanodeposition methods exist that can fabricate thin-film sensors on the substrate for wearable devices—often a soft polymer due to their flexibility and conformability—a number of biomedical sensors can be printed using screen printing techniques. Other techniques, such as inkjet and transfer printing, can be used as well, but screen printing is seen as the best option for printing sensors.Screen printing equipment is widely available, has a relatively low cost, and is easier to use than more advanced deposition methods, so it offers a much more scalable and commercially feasible route for using printed sensors in healthcare monitoring devices. Screen printing can also be used with many materials—from polymer solutions to conductive nanomaterial inks—so it is a versatile platform for printing a number of sensors.So, why print sensors instead of creating them through other manufacturing routes? Screen printing is a simple, fast, and efficient printing technique that can produce a large number of identical patterns in a single print. For large-scale operations and commercialization potential, screen printing can easily be adapted for mass production at a lower cost than other methods.From a performance perspective, screen printing provides high-resolution patterning and can print over large areas. The ability of screen printing to deposit material on demand in a given location also helps to reduce waste—especially on large scales—compared to traditional manufacturing methods because it is all done in a single step.There are, therefore, a number of manufacturing benefits with using printing methods. Beyond that, a greater design capability exists for health wearables because printing methods enable the production of sensors that are not only very thin but also provide the ability to print on the surface of the device. This approach is much simpler than trying to integrate devices into the material matrix of the wearable. You can also create a more customized sensor because you can print on demand, and the printing process can be changed to make a different sensor much easier than a typical manufacturing line.In terms of the materials compatible with screen printing, the scope is vast. Depending on the type of sensor being created, a whole host of materials can be used. On the one hand, a range of metals can be made into printable conductive inks to build the sensor. Common metals for wearable health sensors include gold, copper, platinum, nickel, aluminum, and silver. Beyond metals, a range of nanomaterial composites (graphene, carbon nanotubes composites), functional nanomaterial inks, and silver composites have all been used as the active sensing surface in printed health wearable sensors.The sensors also need a platform to be printed on. This often takes the form of a conductive polymer so that the sensor can better interact with the skin and the other components to provide higher sensitivity and reliability. PEDOT:PSS is the polymer platform that is most widely used for printed sensors, but other polymer materials include polyacetylene, polypyrrol, polyphenylene, poly (p-phenylene vinylene), and polythiophene polyaniline.<h2>The Printed Sensors of Interest in Healthcare Monitoring Applications</h2>Just as many materials can be used to create printed health sensors, many different types of printable sensors are used in health monitoring devices. Take, for example, strain-based sensors. Strain-based sensors measure a form of movement, and these wearable sensors are used in human-physiological signal monitoring and human-joint motion monitoring approaches.Another healthcare specialty measures different biomolecules and human signals. Non-strain-based sensors detect the biomolecule of interest directly or by directly measuring a physiological parameter that the patient exhibits. From a molecule-sensing perspective, a number of biomolecules in the blood can be detected, with glucose levels being a common one as well as the presence of sweat on a person’s skin. From a signal detection perspective, printed sensors can now detect respiration and heartbeat levels in a patient and provide remote electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring.Another class of printed sensors for wearables is sensor arrays. In sensor arrays, multiple sensors work together to detect more complex issues or issues that require analysis from several stimuli angles. Sensor arrays are helpful in monitoring gait during walking, monitoring the sitting posture of wheelchair users, and monitoring the skin.Finally, there’s been advances in the development of printed temperature sensors for wearable health devices. Thermal sensing is a key area in disease detection because the body suffers thermal stresses when there is a disease present, and the rise in both skin and deep body temperature can be a primary indicator of a serious disease. Using printed temperature sensors, health wearables can detect a range of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular, diabetic, and pulmonological diseases, as well as cancer.<h2>Conclusion</h2>Health monitoring wearables are gaining acceptance as an effective way to remotely measure many health factors of a patient. The most important aspect of these wearables is the sensing system that provides the analysis on the patient. For patients to be willing to wear the health monitoring device over an extended amount of time, the sensors and other components need to flex with the wearable component. While integrating flexible sensors is possible—for example, by using thin nanomaterials—printing sensors on the device’s surface is much easier, requires less material, and is much more scalable.A variety of printed health wearables are already in existence (commercially and academically. The printing methods discussed offer a route to achieve widespread distribution of health wearables. While many options are available, screen printing is the leading printing technology because it is highly versatile and can be used with many materials to create sensors that monitor different aspects of a person’s health—from heart rate to detecting a chance of a disease, to the different biomolecules in their blood, and many more in between.

The COVID-19 pandemic and advancements in sensor technology have led to the widespread adoption of wearable health monitoring devices, particularly for telemedicine, to facilitate remote patient monitoring.

Printable Sensors: A Key Technology for Health Wearables?

This article was discussed in our <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Next Byte podcast</a>.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/437b67d4-99c8-455a-9ae6-e487b81825a1?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> The full article will continue below.<hr>In the latest of a series of innovative designs for wearable sensors that use sweat to identify and measure physiological conditions, Caltech's Wei Gao, assistant professor of medical engineering, has devised an "electronic skin" that continuously monitors nine different markers that characterize a stress response. Those wearing this electronic skin—a small, thin adhesive worn on the wrist, called CARES (consolidated artificial-intelligence-reinforced electronic skin)—are free to engage in all their normal daily activities with minimal interference during testing, which allows for the measurement of both baseline and acute levels of stress.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzA2NTEyNDkyMDc2LUdhb19XZWktU3RyZXNzLVN3ZWF0LVNlbnNvci01LVdFQi53aWR0aC00NTAgKDEpLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Stress is a slippery concept. We talk about "feeling stressed" or a situation "being stressful," and we may attach stress to physical symptoms: "I have a stress headache" or "I'm grinding my teeth at night. It must be stress." The term stress can apply to all sorts of feelings, symptoms, behaviors, and experiences.Hans Selye, a physician and chemist born in Vienna in 1907, was the first to define stress as a medical condition. Struck by the similar complaints—such as tiredness, low appetite, and lack of motivation—that he heard from patients suffering from very different illnesses, Selye speculated that all of the patients were responding to what they had in common: being sick. He defined stress as a "nonspecific response of the body to any demand."Stress may be experienced positively as excitement or energy, or negatively as shock or anxiety. But however stress may be experienced emotionally, it is now widely agreed that depending on its severity and duration, both acute and chronic stress can damage our physical and mental health, and reduce our ability to function as we would like.Because stress is, as Selye described it, "nonspecific," there is no single biomarker available to tell us definitively whether or how much a person is stressed. However, stress generates a constellation of bodily reactions that, taken together, can provide a measure of stress independent of self-reports. Gao is monitoring this constellation with CARES.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzA2NTEyNDI2MzM3LUdhb19XZWktU3RyZXNzLVN3ZWF0LVNlbnNvci00LVdFQl8zSW1tM1pKLndlYnAiLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">A sweat sensor worn on the wrist, lifted to show the thinness of the device. Credit: Wei Gao and Changhao Xu"When a person is under stress, hormones like epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol are released into the bloodstream," explains Gao, who is also an investigator with the Heritage Medical Research Institute and a Ronald and JoAnne Willens Scholar. "Sweat becomes rich with metabolites like glucose, lactate, and uric acid, and electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and ammonium. These are substances we have measured before using <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/new-wearable-sensor-detects-even-more-compounds-in-human-sweat" target="_blank">microfluidic sampling on a wearable sweat sensor</a>. What is new in CARES is that sweat sensors are integrated with sensors that record pulse waveforms, skin temperature, and galvanic skin response: physiological signals that also indicate stress in predictable ways."New materials further boost the performance of CARES. Though previously used materials for sweat sensors could be produced efficiently via inkjet printing and were capable of accurate measurement of even very scarce compounds, the materials gradually broke down in the presence of bodily fluids. The introduction of a nickel-based compound helps to stabilize the enzymatic-based sensors, such as those that detect lactate or glucose, as does a new polymer added to the ion-based sensors, which detect biomarkers like sodium or potassium. "Adding these new materials greatly enhances the sensor stability during long-term operation," Gao reports. Like previous sweat sensors, CARES can be battery powered and can wirelessly communicate with a phone or computer via Bluetooth.Another important innovation with CARES is the addition of machine learning. Because stress comes in many different forms and stimulates a complex response affecting many different bodily systems, interpreting a wealth of data accurately is key to the usefulness of CARES and other sensors. Experiments inducing stress in subjects wearing the CARES device demonstrated that the sensor accurately measures the interrelatedness of physiological (such as pulse) and chemical (such as glucose) biomarkers. Subjects also answered questionnaires to self-report their feelings of anxiety and psychological stress before and after exposure to stressful situations like vigorous exercise or intense video gameplay. Data showed clear correlations between self-reports of stress and its physicochemical correlates as measured by CARES."High levels of stress and anxiety caused by demanding work environments, such as those experienced by soldiers or astronauts, can significantly affect performance," Gao notes. "Early detection of the severity of stress allows for timely intervention. Our wearable sensor, combined with machine learning, has the potential to provide real-time stress-level insights."The paper describing the CARES device, titled "A physicochemical sensing electronic skin for stress response monitoring," appears in the January 19 issue of Nature Electronics. Co-authors are Changhao Xu (MS '20), Yu Song, Juliane R. Sempionatto, Samuel R. Solomon (MS '23), You Yu, Roland Yingjie Tay, Jiahong Li, Wenzheng Heng (MS '23), Jihong Min (MS '19), and Alison Lao of Caltech; Hnin Y. Y. Nyein of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; and Tzung K. Hsiai and Jennifer A. Sumner of UCLA.

In the latest of a series of innovative designs for wearable sensors that use sweat to identify and measure physiological conditions, Caltech's Wei Gao has devised an "electronic skin" that continuously monitors nine different markers that characterize a stress response.

Measuring Stress

<h2 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">FREE REPORT:&nbsp;Reducing Human Driver Error and Setting Realistic Expectations with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems</h2>Thousands die or are injured each year in automobile crashes. Bringing automated driving systems technologies into the advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) and connected vehicle space will help humans drive more safely and better prepare us for automated vehicles (AVs).Learn more about ADAS and ADS implementation with the goal of reaching zero deaths and serious injuries by downloading this FREE report from SAE International (valued at $50).&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzAyMzIxNDMwMTE3LXNhZSBmcmVlIHJlcG9ydC5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><iframe src="https://c8056756.sibforms.com/serve/MUIFAIm7QnvQQ9ZyzkX--H5jNS-TSb9GWr5SQBXi_SUjRPpt67CBveq_yevZYMSeiJ-O1dwYw05f2kl-Q7sfNDRem1Y-03GXYZV4qkTbJeR_K_VpJzgMk_8Ry8fjyfgJ7fAMrCmcRHc1KXsSTuhIU5p5pBa3F1-TGDgOdQgcF-pU8cSTrl8JF2j2b9gl6-5e66Ro-rltcIrGxsRG" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" allowfullscreen="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 540px; height: 740px;" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe><hr><h2>Provizio promises its 5D Perception stack can safely compete with expensive lidar sensors at a fraction of the cost.</h2>"Safety first” is more than a catchphrase. For sensing company Provizio, it’s the only way the transportation industry should introduce autonomous vehicles. In Provizio’s view, using AV building blocks – technology such as automatic emergency braking and lane-keep assist – can be valuable in ADAS systems, but they should not be used to drive vehicles until the perception problem has been solved.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzAyMjgyNDM3MTM3LXByb3ZpemlvLXJhZGFyLXN1cGVyLXJlc29sdXRpb24tZ2FsbGVyeS5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">An example image using data taken from Provizio’s “super-resolution” radar sensor.<blockquote>“It’s not that we’re skeptical about autonomous driving, it’s just that we strongly believe that the industry has taken this wrong path,” Dane Mitrev, machine learning engineer at Provizio, told SAE at September 2023’s AutoSens Brussels conference.</blockquote>“The industry has looked at things the other way around. They tried to solve autonomy first, without looking at accident prevention and simpler ADAS systems. We are building a perception technology which will first eliminate road fatalities, then deliver next-generation ADAS – and then solve autonomy. We believe that’s the right order.”Obviously, the industry is in favor of AVs. A group of 11 mobility and automotive companies released a 157-page paper in 2019 called “Safety First for Automated Driving.” Those companies — Aptiv, Audi, Baidu, BMW, Continental, Daimler, FCA US LLC, HERE, Infineon, Intel and Volkswagen — used the paper to propose a non-binding organized framework focused on “the development, testing and validation of safe automated passenger vehicles,” but did not attempt to establish any actual limits on what companies could do as they developed AVs. In the years since, AV technology has continued to advance, but not with the mission to solve sensing and important safety issues before teaching the vehicles how to maneuver.Provizio’s solution is its 5D Perception driving platform, named for the way it uses five different inputs to sense the environment. There’s the 3D radar information of an object in space, plus velocity information, plus the fifth dimension: perception, which means AI embedded in the hardware. Mitrev said the final vision of this technology will be powered by radar and cameras, not light detection and ranging (lidar). Radar’s benefits are well known: the sensors are smaller (and thus simpler to integrate) and less expensive than lidar and can see in all weather conditions. For now, though, Provizio is working with lidar, especially around its hometown.<h3>Irish sensors are smiling</h3>Provizio is headquartered in Limerick, Ireland, and has offices in North Ireland and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In late 2022, Provizio signed a deal with micromobility company Voi to test 5D perception on Voi’s scooters. Alongside potential OEM and Tier 1 partnerships he couldn’t discuss, Mitrev said Provizio also has a partnership with Jaguar Land Rover, supporting tests at a future mobility campus in Ireland.These real-world tests involve collecting data from lidar to train the new radar AI. Provizio synchronizes the lidar and radar sensors, then extracts value from the lidar data at training time, embedding it into the neural net and teaching the neural networks based on these data streams. Imagine lidar as an old professor teaching a young radar sensor a few things, but sooner or later, the student – Provizio’s radar – won’t need the teacher anymore.<blockquote>“We lean fully towards a lidar-less path,” he said. “Lidars should not be involved, even in [SAE Level 5] vehicles. They’re not necessary.”</blockquote>The same is not true for cameras. To understand semantic information such as traffic signs, Provizio’s system uses cameras to augment the radar data.“Provizio is a perception company, first of all,” Mitrev said. “We are not a radar company. We’re not a car manufacturer. We’re a perception company, we have this radar and we have a perception platform that fuses radars and cameras and provides this low-cost solution.”Provizio was founded by Barry Lunn following the acquisition of his company Arralis, which focused on millimeter-wave communication technology for satellite communications and aerospace markets. Provizio’s radar technology grew out of radar work Lunn was familiar with in the aerospace industry. Instead of a commercial, off-the-shelf radar unit, Provizio is “redefining radars,” Mitrev said, by adding AI neural networks to the radar GPUs so all critical decisions can be made on the radar itself with less than five milliseconds latency to make those decisions. He said Provizio’s goal for its 5D radar is to see up to 600 m (1,969 feet) in 360 degrees in all weather conditions.<blockquote>“Once we have this 5D perception, there is literally no reason to build any other system that will do ADAS or autonomy,” he said, adding that accident prevention is “something tangible that we can solve in the next one, three-to-five, years.”</blockquote>At CES 2023, Provizio said it planned to deliver the first of its 5D Perception platforms by 2025. Provizio’s commercial strategy relies on licensing its technology to Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs. Once better sensors are in more vehicles that accurately understand the world around them, that’s when we can start letting vehicles drive themselves, Mitrev said.“The end goal is mass adoption, to have our 5D perception on all vehicles or a lot of vehicles worldwide, then we bring down the road deaths,” he said. “We believe that this is the right path. The industry has taken this the other way around. [Starting by building a self-driving car] is just too complex, let alone with only cameras, as some companies claim.”

Provizio offered demo drives of its technology on the road in Las Vegas during CES in January 2023. These images show some of what the sensors saw during the drive, along with some of Provizio’s identifying data. (Provizio)

"Safety first” is more than a catchphrase. For sensing company Provizio, it’s the only way the transportation industry should introduce autonomous vehicles.

Autonomus safety with radar, not LiDAR

The perceptual abilities to be aware of the state of the outside world are indispensable for all living things to keep on living. Humans gather information through the five senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. We use that information to recognize and understand the situation surrounding us with our superior intelligence. We then perform advanced actions and judgments. Looking at it comprehensively, the perceptual abilities of humans are probably among the best in the living world.However, if we focus on individual perceptual abilities, we find that there are many living things with abilities superior to those of humans. We are no match for the compound eyes of dragonflies when it comes to a sense of sight, whereby the movements of things are perceived in the surroundings. Furthermore, we can't compete with dogs in terms of our senses of hearing and smell. There are even living things that have the ability to capture information that cannot be detected by humans in the first place. Examples of these include migratory birds that determine their direction of flight by perceiving geomagnetism. If we stretch our imaginations further, there may even be perceptive abilities that capture information that living things in existence cannot detect.If we could acquire perception beyond the five senses of humans with the assistance of machines, how would it change our lives and society? We introduce trends in the development and utilization of technologies that realize the super-five senses.<h2>Extending Our Perceptual Abilities Utilizing Evolving Sensors and AI</h2>Sensors are electronic devices with the function to acquire information from the outside world. There are already a wide variety of sensors that can reproduce the five senses of humans. Image sensors, microphones, accelerometers, and temperature sensors are examples of those. There are also many sensors that have performance that exceeds the abilities of humans. For instance, there are infrared ray image sensors capable of detecting the existence of things in the dark. Furthermore, there are also sensors that can acquire information that cannot be detected by humans. Examples include geomagnetic sensors and CO2 sensors.Advances in sensor technologies have made it possible to realize the ability to gather information far beyond the abilities of humans. Nevertheless, even if the range of information we can obtain expands and diversifies, it does not mean it is possible to extend the perceptual abilities of humans. We cannot improve our perceptual abilities without also improving our ability to appropriately process the information we have collected at the same time.&nbsp;For example, facial recognition technology has come to be used for the personal verification of visitors when holding sports and other events. It has also become possible for visitors to gain admission to venues using a face pass without the need for a ticket by registering their image data in advance. Furthermore, in recent years, it has become possible to simultaneously recognize those who can enter and those who have not purchased a ticket by collectively recognizing images of crowds captured by cameras. This has made it possible to smoothly guide people into the venue without lines. In addition, technology has evolved to the point where it is possible to estimate the age and gender of visitors.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1696846836897-super5sense6-01.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">It can be said that such advanced perceptual abilities using machines are the super-five senses beyond the abilities of humans. However, in this example, the super-five senses have not been realized by an evolution in the performance of the sensors that collect the information; or, in other words, the performance of the cameras. The super-five senses have been realized by the evolution of the artificial intelligence (AI), which is utilized in the recognition processing of the acquired images.&nbsp;<h2>Detecting Machine Failures from Noises and Vibrations and Cancer from Exhaled Breath</h2>The advanced perceptual abilities of humans are realized by combining the detection abilities of the sensory organs like the eyes and ears and the cognitive abilities of the brain (Fig. 1). In a similar scheme, the super-five senses will be realized by advancing sensors and AI and then utilizing those technologies in combination. We would now like to introduce just a few examples from among those of the super-five senses already being put into practical use or under development.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1696846855213-super5sense6-02_en.png" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Fig. 1: The perceptual abilities of both humans and machines comprise a combination of detection (information gathering) and cognition (information processing) abilitiesThe super-five senses are already being utilized in many cases in the field of monozukuri. Some factories that produce industrial products employ experienced workers with the ability to sense signs of failure in devices. They do that by identifying the slightest abnormal sounds mixed in with the sounds of those devices operating. This is a personal skill acquired through experience over many years. It can be said that this is an advanced perceptual ability that regular people do not possess. However, high-precision accelerometers are nowadays being mounted to such devices. This has enabled the detection of signs of failure by utilizing AI from the slightest changes in the vibrations of those devices. Moreover, technologies are also being put into practical use that pinpoint the place where abnormal sounds are being emitted on images captured by cameras through catching the slightest abnormal sounds. This is an example of the realization of perceptual abilities not possessed by humans in terms of converting auditory information into visual information.The super-five senses are also starting to be utilized in the field of medicine. A variety of information that reflects the physical and health condition of humans is contained in the things we excrete from our bodies. One of those is the air we exhale when we breathe. It is known that exhaled breath contains components that indicate signs of cancer, appearing as a change in odor. Nevertheless, the change in odor is extremely slight. Accordingly, it is difficult to detect such a change with the human sense of smell. However, there are cases of specially trained dogs called "cancer detecting dogs" being used to detect cancer. That is because dogs have a superior sense of smell that can discern such a change. Many companies and research institutions are carrying out R&amp;D to mechanize this ability by combining a gas sensor that detects the components contained in exhaled breath with AI and other information processing systems. If such a function is installed on a smartphone where exhaled breath is blown during a phone call, it may be possible to achieve a state as though the user was undergoing cancer screening on a daily basis. In addition, attempts are also underway to analyze acetone contained in exhaled breath and to then utilize that analysis in lifestyle-related disease prevention, dieting, and other areas of health.<h2>HSI That Finds Valuable Information from Invisible Light</h2>Furthermore, technologies that acquire information that cannot be obtained from visible light are being developed and utilized. This is done by combining image sensors that detect light with wavelengths that cannot be detected by humans such as ultraviolet rays and infrared rays with AI and other advanced information processing technologies. This technology is called hyperspectral imaging.It may be possible to acquire unexpectedly high-added-value information depending on the method of processing the information obtained from visible light as well. For instance, the nutrient of lycopene contained in tomatoes absorbs blue and green light. Therefore, tomatoes that contain lots of lycopene have a bright red appearance. In other words, we can detect nutrients from color. We can acquire even more diverse information without contact by also applying techniques with similar principles to light other than visible light.For example, it is possible to identify or otherwise recognize the state of pollution in the land, atmosphere, and water and the types of trees growing on the surface from images taken with visible light and infrared rays from an artificial satellite. In addition, it is also possible to discover contamination by foreign substances or abnormal ingredients in food production lines and to evaluate the content of specific amino acids including oleic acid, which is an umami (savory) ingredient. We can also check the health condition of people based on changes in their complexion that cannot be detected by the human eye.There is still room for significant advances in both sensors and AI. As a result, it seems there are infinite possibilities for what kind of super-five senses humans will acquire in the future.<hr><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1696846884169-1696846884169.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii">If you have any questions based on this article that you would like to discuss with an expert at Murata, don't hesitate to reach out. There's an entire team ready to support you with your question.<a href="https://www.murata.com/en-eu/contactform?&Detail=Wevolver%20request" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="button-main-action">GET IN TOUCH</a>

Sensors are electronic devices with the function to acquire information from the outside world. There are already a wide variety of sensors that can reproduce the five senses of humans. Image sensors, microphones, accelerometers, and temperature sensors are examples of those.

Super-Five Senses Created by Combining and Utilizing Sensors and AI

Knowing the distance between two short-range transceivers is useful for many applications. Examples include proximity measurement for making sure people maintain a set distance apart for safety reasons, indoor navigation, and tracking items in a warehouse.There are several techniques for measuring distance from straightforward received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and time-of-flight (ToF), through more complex phase-based measurements to advanced techniques such as Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) and estimation of multipath channel impulse response from frequency spectrum measurements. Each trades off some combination of accuracy, resolution, calculation time, processing resource, and energy.It&#39;s possible to try out each of these techniques to find out which is best for your applications using the Nordic Distance Toolbox (NDT). NDT is a proprietary technology that&rsquo;s an easy-to-use development tool for measuring the distance between two Nordic short-range radios. It is included in Nordic&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-software/nRF-Connect-SDK?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nRF Connect SDK</a>, the company&rsquo;s scalable and unified software development kit. Let&rsquo;s take a closer look at these various distance measuring techniques.<h2>Using signal intensity to estimate distance</h2>While not able to focus a signal nor determine the direction from which it has come, a short-range radio such as a Bluetooth LE transceiver with a single antenna can measure signal strength, the frequency of the incoming signal, its phase, and its time of arrival. This information is useful for estimating the distance to the transmitter.When transmitting, the short-range radio broadcasts a 2.402 to 2.480 GHz signal that forms a sphere expanding at the speed of light. As the sphere propagates, the intensity (power per unit area) of the signal in a vacuum and without obstructions drops off according to the formula 1/r2 (where &ldquo;r&rdquo; is the radius of the sphere). With knowledge of the original transmission power and incoming signal strength, the receiver can therefore work out approximately how far it is from the transmitter.But a vacuum without obstructions is not the usual operating environment for a short-range radio. In typical use, for example, in a house or an office, the intensity drop will be greater. To compensate and improve distance measurement accuracy, engineers instead use the formula 1/rn where &ldquo;n&rdquo; is the &ldquo;path loss factor&rdquo;. For example, in a home with walls made of wood, n is around 4.5.RSSI is a cheap and inexpensive way to estimate the distance between two transceivers. The downside is that the path loss factor introduces errors even if it has been carefully assessed for an anticipated operating scenario. Nordic conducted some tests in an office environment that compared the distance between two short-range radios measured very precisely using LIDAR with those obtained from RSSI measurements. RSSI proved precise up to a few meters, but beyond that distance estimates became increasingly inaccurate. When people were moving through the measurement area, RSSI precision deteriorated markedly, and the useable range dropped to half a meter.<h2>Time-of-Flight and phase measurements</h2>A second technique that brings greater precision to distance measurement is ToF. The technique measures the time it takes for a signal to travel from the transmitter to the receiver and back, and then calculates the distance based on the speed of light. (ToF (seconds)/2 x c (meters per second) = distance to object (meters).) There is a small correction, because the receiving radio will require a short but finite time to switch from receive to transmit and &ldquo;reflect&rdquo; the signal back. However, such a correction is easily included in the distance calculation.A third technique that also offers greater accuracy than RSSI is phase measurement. It&rsquo;s a technique that has been used for many years in radar installations. The math is complex, but in essence the measurement relies on different radio frequencies having different wavelengths. A 2.4 GHz signal, for example, has a wavelength of 12.5 cm, whereas a 2.48 GHz signal has a slightly shorter wavelength of 12.1 cm.Over two meters, for example, a 2.4 GHz signal will oscillate exactly (2/0.125) 16 times so its phase at the receiver will be the same as when it left the transmitter. However, a 2.48 GHz signal will oscillate (2/0.121) 16.53 times. That extra 0.53 of a cycle will mean that the received signal is (2&pi; x 0.53) 1.06&pi; out of phase compared with the transmitted signal.For a given distance, phase measurements across a range of frequencies results in a linear phase variation with a measurable gradient. Changing the distance alters the gradient of the phase variation with a steeper gradient representing a greater range. With knowledge of the gradient change for a set of reference distances, in a practical situation, it is relatively simple to correlate a measured gradient to the actual distance between the two transmitters. &nbsp; &nbsp;Nordic&rsquo;s tests using the LIDAR comparison showed that both ToF and phase measurement offer reasonable accuracy and are not affected by the signal attenuation that plagues RSSI measurements. For shorter distances (up to ten meters), phase measurement offers greater precision. Over long distances (up to several hundred meters), phase measurement tends to become less precise and ToF is a better way to measure the distance between the radios. Note that both the ToF and phase change techniques require a two-way connection between transmitter and receiver, unlike RSSI.<h2>Greater precision but increased complexity</h2>If the precision offered by ToF or phase measurement is still not adequate for an application, there are two more methods supported by Nordic Distance Toolbox that offer even greater accuracy. One uses Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) techniques and the other uses an estimation of multipath channel impulse response from frequency spectrum measurements.These techniques are complex, and both rely on sophisticated analysis of the transmitted and received signals. However, the result is a precise and repeatable measurement of the distance between the short range radios. The trade-off with both techniques is that they demand a high level of computing resources and long processing time that consumes energy and hence impacts battery life.Nordic&#39;s tests revealed that IFFT produces a good correlation to the actual distance measured by LIDAR and is more accurate than RSSI, ToF and phase measurement, although some outlier filtering is likely to be required to get the best results. The estimation of multipath channel impulse response measurement is even better than IFFT, producing high precision results; but it also requires outlier filtering and features longer processing times than the other techniques. However, if the highest precision distance measurement is needed for the application, then the energy trade-off could be worth it.<h2>Nordic Distance Toolbox does all the work</h2>The Nordic Distance Toolbox included with Nordic&rsquo;s nRF Connect SDK is useful for testing various distance measurement techniques with Nordic short-range radio SoCs and includes a quality indicator to provide a degree of confidence in how accurate the measurement data is likely to be. Distance is computed based on all intensity, frequency, and phase information available to the transceiver and all calculations are completed inside the toolbox.Nordic Distance Toolbox currently offers experimental support for <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/nRF52833?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nRF52833</a>, <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/nRF52840?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nRF52840</a>, and <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/nRF5340?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nRF5340</a> and includes measurement support for: RSSI; ToF; phase slope estimation; IFFT; and estimation of multipath channel impulse response from frequency spectrum measurements.<hr id="isPasted">This article was first published on Nordic&#39;s <a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"></a><a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Get Connected Blog</a>. &nbsp;

Knowing the distance between two short-range transceivers is useful for many applications. Examples include proximity measurement for making sure people maintain a set distance apart for safety reasons, indoor navigation, and tracking items in a warehouse.

Using the Nordic Distance Toolbox to measure the distance between short-range radios

In this episode, we discuss the accidental discovery of how amputees can sense temperature in their phantom limbs and how EPFL researchers have exploited this to develop the first generation of prosthetics that can feel.

Podcast: Amputees Feel Warmth In Their Missing Hand

In this article, we will dive deep into the world of simultaneous localization and mapping using Lidar technology. Lidar SLAM has been gaining popularity in recent years, thanks to its versatility and applications across various domains, including autonomous vehicles, mobile robotics, and indoor mapping.

Lidar SLAM: The Ultimate Guide to Simultaneous Localization and Mapping

Explore the key differences, advantages, and applications of lidar and radar technologies in modern engineering projects.

Lidar vs. Radar: Comprehensive Comparison and Analysis

 Innovations such as biomimicry, software inspired by insect brains, smart skin, neuromorphic computing, and other emerging technologies further expand robots' capabilities and push the boundaries of robotics hardware.

The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report: Hardware

If you&rsquo;ve ever tried giftwrapping an odd-shaped present like a teddy bear, you can appreciate the challenge that surgeons face when grafting artificial skin onto an injured body part. Like wrapping paper, engineered skin comes in flat pieces, which can be difficult and time-consuming to stitch together around an irregularly shaped body part.Bioengineers at Columbia University appear to have solved this problem by devising a way to grow engineered skin in complex, three-dimensional shapes, making it possible to construct, for example, a seamless &ldquo;glove&rdquo; of skin cells that can be easily slipped onto a severely burned hand.The researchers reported their findings in a paper published Jan. 27 in&nbsp;<a data-extlink="" href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ade2514" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Science Advances(link is external and opens in a new window)</a>.&ldquo;Three-dimensional skin constructs that can be transplanted as &lsquo;biological clothing&rsquo; would have many advantages,&rdquo; says lead developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dermatology.columbia.edu/profile/hasan-e-abaci-phd" target="_blank">Hasan Erbil Abaci, PhD</a>, assistant professor of dermatology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. &ldquo;They would dramatically minimize the need for suturing, reduce the length of surgeries, and improve aesthetic outcomes.&rdquo;The current study also revealed that the continuous 3D grafts have better mechanical and functional properties than conventional, pieced-together grafts.<h2>3D scaffolding</h2>The process of creating the new skin grafts begins with a 3D laser scan of the target structure, such as a human hand. Next, a hollow, permeable model of the hand is crafted using computer-aided design and 3D printing. The exterior of the model is then seeded with skin fibroblasts, which generate the skin&rsquo;s connective tissue, and collagen (a structural protein). Finally, the outside of the mold is coated with a mixture of keratinocytes (cells that comprise most of the outer skin layer, or epidermis) and the inside is perfused with growth media, which support and nourish the developing graft.Except for the 3D scaffold, the researchers employed the same procedures used to make flat engineered skin and the entire process took the same time, about three weeks.In a first test of the 3D engineered skin, constructs composed of human skin cells were successfully grafted onto the hind limbs of mice. &ldquo;It was like putting a pair of shorts on the mice,&rdquo; Abaci says, &ldquo;The entire surgery took about 10 minutes.&rdquo; Four weeks later, the grafts had completely integrated with the surrounding mouse skin, and the mice reacquired full functions of the limb.Mouse skin heals differently than human skin, so the researchers next plan to test the grafts on larger animals with skin biology that more closely matches that of humans. Clinical trials on humans are likely years away.<h2>Redesigning engineered skin</h2>The 3D grafts are the first major re-design of engineered skin grafts since they were first introduced in the early 1980s. &ldquo;Engineered skin started with only two cell types, but human skin has around 50 types of cells. Most research had focused on mimicking the cellular components of human skin,&rdquo; Abaci says. &ldquo;As a bioengineer, it&rsquo;s always bothered me that the skin&rsquo;s geometry was overlooked and grafts have been made with open boundaries, or edges. We know from bioengineering other organs that geometry is an important factor that affects function.&rdquo;Abaci and his team realized they could make more lifelike grafts when 3D printers became available and could create three-dimensional scaffolds necessary for making the engineered skin.&ldquo;We hypothesized that a 3D fully enclosed shape would more closely mimic our natural skin and be stronger mechanically, and that&rsquo;s what we found,&rdquo; Abaci says. &ldquo;Simply remaining faithful to the continuous geometry of human skin significantly improves the composition, structure, and strength of the graft.&rdquo;In the future, Abaci envisions grafts could be custom-made from a patient&rsquo;s own cells. With only a 4X4 mm skin sample, enough cells can be cultured and multiplied to create enough skin to cover a human hand.&ldquo;Another compelling use would be face transplants, where our wearable skin would be integrated with underlying tissues like cartilage, muscle, and bone, offering patients a personalized alternative to cadaver transplants,&rdquo; Abaci says.<hr>The study is titled &ldquo;<a href="https://epicure.cumc.columbia.edu/content/about-epicure-center" target="_blank">Engineering Edgeless Human Skin with Enhanced Biomechanical Properties</a>.&rdquo;The other contributors (all at Columbia University): Alberto Pappalardo, David Alvarez Cespedes, Shuyang Fang, Abigail R. Herschman, Eun Young Jeon, Kristin M. Myers, and Jeffrey W. Kysar.

Creating a "glove" of engineered skin begins with a 3D-printed scaffold and ends three weeks later with a construct ready for grafting. Images: Alberto Pappalardo and Hasan Erbil Abaci / Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Columbia University devising a way to grow engineered skin in complex, three-dimensional shapes, making it possible to construct, for example, a seamless “glove” of skin cells that can be easily slipped onto a severely burned hand.

Bioengineered Skin Grafts that Fit Like a Glove

Announcing TechBlick&#39;s&nbsp;open free-to-attend&nbsp;virtual conference and exhibition day on 2 DEC 2022 from 13:00 CET to 19:00 CET. The conference will offer the following two parallel tracks:<ul><li dir="ltr">Track 1: &nbsp;Printed, Flexible, Hybrid, 3D Electronics: Innovation Showcase Day</li><li dir="ltr">Track 2: Wearable Sensors and Therapeutics, E-Textiles, and Continuous Vital Signs Monitoring</li></ul>You can view the combined agenda&nbsp;and register free&nbsp;<a href="https://techblick-dot-yamm-track.appspot.com/2ISOs9hOMy2x8pbhQhl6KSSvgJLWIkOrG6xamhF4N_XNJc7g4hAHrTK3lmPs6viFvxTWpwv-ZckWPjtUPOAWzWbCua0Z6ORGl6JITifLNV7zXxNP6u2slSvhW_RP_2SY2c1JW8AOJI3cmvLbxsAYYVpfxKU3_2gHjvUnYyyQoFx3X0bYTw_lxzeKOy3sdQyPw0xfcZeUBrfUVgA" target="_blank">here.</a>&nbsp; It is a unique event with two-parallel live tracks, a live engaging exhibition floor, and 400+ attendees. &nbsp;The exhibiting companies include the likes of Voltera, Epishine, Dupont Teijin Films, DoMicro, Copprint, InnovationLab, NovaCentrix, PulseForge, Fujikura Kasei, ImageXpert, Panacol, Neotech AMT, Celanese, Applied Materials, Coatema, Sateco, IDS, Ames Goldsmith, Kimoto, Encres Dubuit, Raymor, Quad Industries, Ynvisible, Brilliant Matters, CondAlign, DTI, and many moreFull AgendaThe times below is Central European Times (CET) / Berlin time.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1668430736253-speakers+lpogos.jpg" style="width: 695px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">1:00pm &nbsp;ATT Advanced Thermal Technologies | How to keep Cameras, RADAR &amp; LiDAR Sensors free of Snow &amp; Ice by means of Printed Electronics &nbsp; 01:00pm&nbsp;&nbsp;DTI |&nbsp;Advance printed electronics and standardization within the smart wearables industry.01:15pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) |&nbsp;Development of smart apparel for bio-signal measurement &nbsp;&nbsp;01:15pm&nbsp;&nbsp;VTT |&nbsp;Pilot factory for converting of next generation wearables towards high quality manufacturing processes &nbsp;&nbsp;01:30pm&nbsp;&nbsp;NexStem |&nbsp;Wearable Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) - Measuring Signals Beyond Patches &nbsp;&nbsp;01:30pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Silicon Austria |&nbsp;Advancements in hybrid flexible electronics towards ultra-fine pitch chip bonding &nbsp;&nbsp;01:45pm&nbsp;&nbsp;ISRA |&nbsp;Fab-as-a-Service: prototyping &amp; manufacturing of copper based printed electronics devices &nbsp;&nbsp;01:45pm CondAlign&nbsp;| (TBC)02.00pm &nbsp;Exhibition &amp; Networking Break &nbsp;&nbsp;02:45pm &nbsp;Encres DUBUIT | Transparent and conductive films based on nanocellulose.&nbsp;02:45pm &nbsp;Zimmer Peacock | Printed Wearable Sensors for Sports and Athletic Performance &nbsp;03:00pm &nbsp;Binder ITZ | Printed sensors on 3D surfaces &nbsp;&nbsp;03:00pm &nbsp;EastPrint | (TBC) Wearable Biosensors: Overview of Printing Techniques03:15pm&nbsp;&nbsp;FLEEP Technologies |&nbsp;PrintIC: integrated circuits can be printed! &nbsp;&nbsp;03:15pm&nbsp;&nbsp;X-trodes |&nbsp;Soft electrode array for skin electro-physiology: New opportunities in sleep studies and rehabilitation &nbsp;&nbsp;03:30pm&nbsp;&nbsp;EERS Global Technologies/ &Eacute;cole de technologie sup&eacute;rieure |&nbsp;(TBC) In-Ear Sensors To Measure Biometric Data and Brain Signals: Present and Future &nbsp;&nbsp;03:30pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Marquardt Group |&nbsp;Fully printed organic photo sensor to supervise display functionality &nbsp;&nbsp;03:45pm&nbsp;&nbsp;University of Chicago |&nbsp;Skin-like wearable electronics with artificial-intelligence computing &nbsp;&nbsp;03:45pm&nbsp;&nbsp;e2ip |&nbsp;(TBC) InMold Electronics: Achieving ultra complex shapes with molecular inks &nbsp;&nbsp;4.00pm &nbsp;Exhibition &amp; Networking Break &nbsp;&nbsp;04:55pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Georgia Institute of Technology |&nbsp;Soft Wearable Bioelectronics for Human Healthcare and Human-Machine Interfaces &nbsp;&nbsp;04:55pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Murata Manufacturing |&nbsp;Highly Conductive MXene for Electronics &nbsp;&nbsp;05:10pm&nbsp;&nbsp;NAMICS Technologies |&nbsp;Low temperature sintering nano silver paste &nbsp;&nbsp;05:10pm&nbsp;&nbsp;University of Texas |&nbsp;Graphene based electronic tattoo technologies for complex electrophysiology &nbsp;&nbsp;05:25pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Tampere University |&nbsp;Arterial Pulse Wave Monitoring: Self-Powered, Highly Unobtrusive, Low-Cost and Accurate &nbsp;&nbsp;05:25pm MacDermid&nbsp;| (TBC) Ultralow temperature solder and pastes for InMold Electronics and Flexible Hybrid Electronics05:40pm&nbsp;&nbsp;MesoMat |&nbsp;Stretchable piezo-resitive yarns for strain sensing in high deformation systems &nbsp;&nbsp;05:40pm&nbsp;&nbsp;NanoPrintek |&nbsp;Dry Multimaterial Printer: An Ink-less Technology with On-Demand Generation and Real-time Sintering of Pure Nanoparticles &nbsp;&nbsp;05:55pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Cardiomo Care |&nbsp;(TBC) Continous Non-Invastive ECG Monitoring: Hardware and Software &nbsp;&nbsp;05:55pm&nbsp;CPI | Flexible Electronics for HealthTech06.10pm &nbsp;Exhibition &amp; Networking Break &nbsp;&nbsp;06:45pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Theranica Bio Electronics |&nbsp;Remote Electrical Neuromodulation: Wearable Medical DevicesYou can view the combined agenda and register free&nbsp;<a href="https://techblick-dot-yamm-track.appspot.com/2ISOs9hOMy2x8pbhQhl6KSSvgJLWIkOrG6xamhF4N_XNJc7g4hAHrTK3lmPs6viFvxTWpwv-ZckWPjtUPOAWzWbCua0Z6ORGl6JITifLNV7zXxNP6u2slSvhW_RP_2SY2c1JW8AOJI3cmvLbxsAYYVpfxKU3_2gHjvUnYyyQoFx3X0bYTw_lxzeKOy3sdQyPw0xfcZeUBrfUVgA" target="_blank">here.</a>&nbsp;

Announcing TechBlick's free-to-attend virtual conference and exhibition covering innovations in Wearable Sensors | E-Textiles | Printed Electronics & Beyond. It is a unique event with two-parallel live tracks, a live engaging exhibition floor, and 400+ attendees. See details & registration link here

Innovations: Wearable Sensors, E-Textiles, Printed Flexible Electronics

In general, silicone based conductive pastes are rare and the versions with AgCl fillers- needed for many medical wearable applications- are even rarer! <a data-attribute-index="0" data-entity-hovercard-id="urn:li:fs_miniProfile:ACoAACBPPG0BiuMqPPP9xTDFydt590kiUA2t-Us" data-entity-type="MINI_PROFILE" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAACBPPG0BiuMqPPP9xTDFydt590kiUA2t-Us" id="isPasted" target="_blank">David Dewey</a> from <a data-attribute-index="2" data-entity-hovercard-id="urn:li:fs_miniCompany:27073286" data-entity-type="MINI_COMPANY" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/fujikura-kasei-co-ltd/" target="_blank">FUJIKURA KASEI Co Ltd</a> unveiled this paste for the first time in June at <a data-attribute-index="4" data-entity-hovercard-id="urn:li:fs_miniCompany:71510477" data-entity-type="MINI_COMPANY" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/techblick/" target="_blank">TechBlick</a>. The pastes can offer 1-10 E-4 ohm/sqr when cured at 150C for 30min or so on substrates such as PET or silicone sheet.&nbsp;These inks are compatible with other silicone-based (insulator, adhesive, etc) out of Fujikura&#39;s portfolio, enabling one to print complex multi-layer medical wearable devices on stretchable substrates like silicone!The short video below offers further information<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/739956599" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" style="width: 774px; height: 476px;"></iframe>

In general, silicone based conductive pastes are rare and the versions with AgCl fillers- needed for many medical wearable applications- are even rarer! 

Stretchable silicone-based medical devices with AgCl fillers?

Sensors are ubiquitous in our modern world, playing pivotal roles in numerous sectors. This article delves into their fundamental principles, diverse types, and their significant impact across industries.

What is a Sensor? An In-Depth Exploration and Comprehensive Guide to Engineering Principles and Applications

Disruptive Technologies-Fri Jun 30 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0200 (Central European Summer Time)

Disruptive Technologies-Mon Jul 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Disruptive Technologies-Thu Aug 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Disruptive Technologies-Thu Aug 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0200 (Central European Summer Time)

Disruptive Technologies-Sat Sep 30 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Xsens-Fri Jun 30 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0200 (Central European Summer Time)

Movella-Mon Jul 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Movella-Thu Aug 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Movella-Thu Aug 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0200 (Central European Summer Time)

Movella-Sat Sep 30 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Movella-Thu Oct 05 2023 18:51:53 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Movella-Thu Oct 05 2023 18:51:58 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Movella-Mon Oct 30 2023 14:34:24 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Movella-Tue Oct 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Edge Impulse-Fri Jun 30 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0200 (Central European Summer Time)

Edge Impulse-Mon Jul 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Edge Impulse-Thu Aug 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Edge Impulse-Thu Aug 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0200 (Central European Summer Time)

Edge Impulse-Sat Sep 30 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Edge Impulse-Mon Oct 30 2023 14:34:39 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Edge Impulse-Tue Oct 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Intrinsic ID-Fri Jun 30 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0200 (Central European Summer Time)

Intrinsic ID-Mon Jul 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Intrinsic ID-Thu Aug 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Intrinsic ID-Thu Aug 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0200 (Central European Summer Time)

Intrinsic ID-Sat Sep 30 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Jiga

Syntiant-Fri Jun 30 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0200 (Central European Summer Time)

Syntiant-Mon Jul 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Syntiant-Thu Aug 31 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

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Syntiant-Sat Sep 30 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The Next Byte

sensors

Sensors

What is a Sensor? An In-Depth Exploration and Comprehensive Guide to Engineering Principles and Applications

Profiles