58 The PCB Magazine • August 2016
Artificial Muscle for Soft Robotics:
Low Voltage, High Hopes
Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School
of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have
developed a dielectric elastomer with a broad
range of motion that requires relatively low volt-
age and no rigid components.
Graphene Could Revolutionize the
Internet of Things
EPFL researchers have produced a tunable, gra-
phene-based device that could significantly in-
crease the speed and efficiency of wireless commu-
nication systems. Their system works at very high
frequencies, delivering unprecedented results.
Asia Pacific Dominates Global Consumer
Electronics Market
The global consumer electronics market features
several players dominating the market for a par-
ticular type of electronic device.
Engineers Integrate Nano-scale
Sensors, Electronics and Microfluidics
into Threads
For the first time, researchers led by Tufts Univer-
sity engineers have integrated nano-scale sensors,
electronics and microfluidics into threads, ranging
from simple cotton to sophisticated synthetics,
which can be sutured through multiple layers of
tissue to gather diagnostic data wirelessly in real
time.
A New Generation of Electron Devices
Makes Waves
No one has managed to push radiofrequency
technology into the trillions of cycles per second,
or Terahertz (THz), range. With the Terahertz (THz)
Electronics Program, however, DARPA has begun
to make it possible.
Military Airborne Collision Avoidance
System Market to Grow 4.5% by 2020
Research and Markets has announced the addition
of the "Global Military Airborne Collision Avoid-
ance System Market 2016–2020" report to their
offering. The report forecasts the global military
ACAS market to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% during
the period 2016–2020.
IoT Communication Protocol Market
Worth $15.8B by 2022
The market size, in terms of value, is expected
to grow from USD 11.44 billion in 2015 to USD
15.80 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 4.7% between
2016 and 2022.
World Record: 248,000 Industrial Robots
Revolutionizing the Global Economy
The worldwide sales of industrial robots achieved a
new record number of 248,000 units in 2015, ac-
cording to the International Federation of Robotics
(IFR).
New Detector Overcomes Key Challenge in
Using Light for Wireless Communications
Today's high-speed wired communication net-
works use lasers to carry information through
optical fibers, but wireless networks are currently
based on radio frequencies or microwaves.
Automotive LED Market has a Bright
Future with the Rise of Replacement
Products
The value of the global LED market has been grow-
ing at a crawling pace as demand for backlight
LEDs contracts. Automotive LEDs, however, are
one of the few sizable application markets that are
developing rapidly along with other smaller mar-
kets for niche industrial LED products.
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