From Mobility to Smart Living—Printed Electronics Makes Everyday Life Easy and Flexible

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

This year we have an anniversary: For the tenth time OE-A organizes the OE-A Competition for its members from all sectors of organic and printed electronics. Numerous international companies, research institutes and universities participate in the annual competition to present their new products, prototypes and concepts. Prizes will be awarded for the best submission in each of the three categories: "Prototypes & New Products;" "Freestyle Demonstrator;" and "Publicly Funded Project Demonstrator" at LOPEC 2020 in Munich, Germany the leading trade show and conference for printed electronics.

The modern rear light for cars, the solution for nearly zero-energy buildings, and a personal trainer in your shoe

Once again, prototypes and products from the Medicine, Consumer Electronics and Automotive, as well as the Packaging, Wearables, and Smart Buildings sectors will be displayed. A total of 24 submissions from 12 countries will be showcased at the OE-A booth (Messe München, hall B0, booth 212) during LOPEC 2020.

The flexible, segmented OLED panel from OE-A member OLEDWorks is one of the exhibits submitted in the products category of the OE-A Competition. The OLED luminaire consistsof more than 50 segments and each segment is individually addressable and fully dimmable. This digital OLED technology opens up completely new and innovative design possibilities for the Automotive industry, especially for rear lights.

There are also exciting developments in the area of Smart Buildings, such as the OPV facade from OE-A member Heliatek. OPV is an up-and-coming clean energy technology that enables a wide range of applications. This technology offers cost-effective, lightweight and adaptable power sources that are suitable for many new applications. OPV also offers design and process flexibility for integration into large-scale industrial products, such as building facades and diffuse lighting.

Another example for Smart Living is the smart shoe sensor from OE-A member IEE. The important applications of these sensors are activity tracking, help with exercise and a variety of medical applications, such as the detection of diabetic foot syndrome, early recognition of neurological diseases and support in post-surgical rehabilitation. Because the films are thin and flexible, the product can be easily integrated into smart shoes without compromising their walking comfort.

LOPEC visitors’ vote count

This year, attendees can once again cast their votes at the OE-A booth (B0 212) and choose which demonstrator deserves the “Public Choice Award”. Voters also have the chance to win something: The book „Unfolding Fashion Tech: Pioneers of Bright Futures,“ which offers a hopeful vista for the future of fashion, by Marina Toeters, by-wire.net, will be raffled off.

The winner of the OE-A Competition 2020 will be announced on the evening of Wednesday, March 25, during the LOPEC Dinner & Award Show. “Also this year we will show groundbreaking examples of new products, which are only made possible by flexible electronics, at the OE-A Competition. Many of these are far beyond the concept stage of earlier years and originate from joint product development with end users. This impressively demonstrates the relevance and performance of this technology for important user industries,” says Dr. Klaus Hecker, Managing Director of OE-A, a working group within VDMA.

OE-A presents new Roadmap and current business climate survey

OE-A will also introduce the new version of its Roadmap at LOPEC. More than 100 experts have contributed to the eighth edition. In recent years, great progress has been made in launching new products on the market. The roadmap provides an overview of the current status of applications and technologies and highlights short, medium and long-term trends in the industry. The new Roadmap especially puts emphasis on the outlook for industries suchas Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Healthcare, Internet of Things, Printing & Packaging and Smart Buildings. During LOPEC, OE-A will also present its latest business climate survey.

For more information on organic and printed electronics, prototypes and products, visit OE-A booth 212 (hall B0) at LOPEC 2020 at the ICM in Munich, Germany on March 25-26.

Journalists can be accredited for LOPEC 2020. The press get-together for LOPEC 2020 will take place on Wednesday, March 25, at 11:15 am.