Flexible Hybrid Electronics; NextFlex Awards $12M
July 23, 2018 | Business WireEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
NextFlex has announced $12 million (including $7M in cost-share contribution from participants) in funding for seven projects as part of its Project Call 3.0, fueling development of flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) projects that include epidermal sensors for robotic knees to rehabilitate soldiers and industrial workers, a sensor network to monitor and communicate the status of industrial systems and infrastructure, and flexible, “skin-like” health monitoring systems for healthcare patients and athletes.
The latest round of the highly successful Project Call program (which has awarded a total of over $59 million in development funding to date) challenged companies and universities to submit projects that achieved two objectives. The projects not only had to tackle industry-driven problems head on, but also develop components and methods that bridge key gaps in the FHE manufacturing process.
“With Project Call 3.0, we wanted to focus on the future of FHE and how it would be used to improve daily life,” said Malcolm Thompson, executive director of NextFlex. “The seven projects we’ve selected not only make exciting developments in fields like healthcare, avionics or heavy industry, but they’re creating building blocks upon which future researchers can create new applications with FHE, accelerating the pace of true FHE innovation.”
The seven projects awarded funding are:
- Development led by Boeing of printed passive elements that evaluate geometric and chemical behavior of printed materials to provide long term stability for resistors, capacitors and inductors.
- Development led by Boeing of a large area sensor network that detects temperature, strain, humidity, pressure and other conditions and communicates status in industrial systems and infrastructure.
- Development led by Epicore of thin, flexible systems for disposable, “skin-like” health monitoring systems for healthcare and athletic performance.
- Development led by GE and Binghamton University of disposable, clinical-grade vital sign monitoring devices designed to increase patient safety and shorten hospital stays.
- Development led by Lockheed Martin of a database on additively printed antennas and microwave elements for use in military, avionic and microwave communications.
- Development led by Lockheed Martin and Georgia Tech of epidermal sensors for robotic exoskeleton knee control for real-time injury management and rehabilitation of soldiers and industrial workers.
- Development led by MicroConnex of low cost flexible circuit fabrication processes using roll-to-roll printing for high volume production.
Project Call 3.0 shows the continued momentum and interest from industry, academic, and government leaders for finding real-world applications for lightweight, low-cost, flexible and stretchable devices made possible through FHE – an intersection of printed circuitry, passive devices and sensors, and thin, flexible silicon chips. To build on this momentum, NextFlex will be releasing Project Call 4.0 in August 2018.
About NextFlex
NextFlex, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Institute, is a leading force in the Manufacturing USA network of Institutes. Formed through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and FlexTech Alliance, NextFlex is a consortium of companies, academic institutions, non-profits and state, local and federal governments with a shared goal of advancing U.S. manufacturing of FHE. Since its formation in 2015, NextFlex’s elite team of thought leaders, educators, problem solvers and manufacturers have come together to collectively facilitate innovation, narrow the manufacturing workforce gap and promote sustainable manufacturing ecosystems. For more information, click here.
Suggested Items
Simbe Partners with Plexus to Scale Manufacturing and Meet Global Retail Demand
05/08/2024 | Globe NewswireSimbe, the leading provider of Store Intelligence™ solutions that increase retailer performance through unprecedented visibility and insights, today announced a partnership with Plexus Corp. to bring its best-in-class retail robotics-as-a-service to market quickly and at global scale.
AIM Solder Signs Shinil Fl Ltd. as New Distributor for Korea
05/08/2024 | AIM SolderAIM Solder, a leading global manufacturer of solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is pleased to announce a new distribution partnership with Shinil Fl Ltd., a prominent supplier of technological solutions in the SMT and semiconductor sectors.
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Innovative Lamination Technology
05/07/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOKevin Barrett of Insulectro and Victor Lazaro of Indubond discuss their companies' partnership, focusing on Indubond's innovative lamination technology that uses induction heating. They discuss the advantages of this technology over traditional methods, its benefits to customers, and the crucial role of automation in manufacturing.
Nolan’s Notes: Coming to Terms With AI
05/07/2024 | Nolan Johnson -- Column: Nolan's NotesHow fast do things move in the world of data analytics? Here’s an example. We’ve been planning this issue on artificial intelligence for the past few months, and, in fact, I had already written this column about a month ago. Then I went to IPC APEX EXPO and upended it all. I originally had compared AI to drag racing in that (CPU) horsepower and new (data) vehicles have steadily delivered higher performance competition. That seemed pretty accurate given how generative AI models dominated the popular media with amazing results—and sometimes spectacular crashes.
DDM Novastar Unveils Affordable NovaPlace Automatic Pick and Place Systems
05/06/2024 | DDM Novastar Inc.DDM Novastar, a prominent U.S. manufacturer specializing in SMT and PCB assembly equipment, proudly announces the recent launch of their NovaPlace Pick & Place systems. This new line introduces entry-level yet high-performance pick and place machines.