For three days in Munich earlier this month, the International Exhibition and Conference for Printed Electronics played host to almost every leading player in what many see as a technology with real potential. Called LOPEC, the event showcased this exciting technology which has begun to enable a wide variety of new and innovative applications.

For anyone who cares about the ongoing impact that the consumption of fossil fuels is having on our environment - yet still needs a constantly charged power hungry smartphone - the JAQ charger from myFC looks to be the ideal solution. Widely talked about last week at MWC in Barcelona and due to be launched later this year, JAQ uses a slim 'power card' that contains water and salt.

  The smart meter market is awash with different standards and technologies and, as Steve Rogerson found, there is little sign of any light at the end of the tunnel.

  The next step for PV technology is integrating it directly into buildings. Sally Ward-Foxton explores for ES Design magazine.

Once again Space Tech Conference will open its doors in Long Beach, California, to bring together the leading representatives of the military, government and commercial space sectors.  An unparallelled line-up of expert speakers at the three-day conference will showcase the breadth of innovation in the industry, discussing issues and opportunities in solving the space sector’s most challenging problems.

  Will removing division in the industry help promote wireless charging to greater heights? Philip Ling takes a look at the latest developments.

  Which low-power wireless technologies will dominate as the IoT rolls out? Steve Rogerson looks at the contenders.

  Adding programmable logic blocks to MCUs offers some interesting benefits, as Sally Ward-Foxton discovers for ES Design magazine.

  The use of MCUs in automotive applications is growing, but Steve Rogerson found there were differences in how the chip makers see the market evolving.

  With autonomous cars promised by the end of this decade, the advanced sensing and control systems needed to make that a reality are starting to come together, giving us a better idea of what to expect, as Sally Ward-Foxton discovers.

  Steve Rogerson explores the increasing sophistication in displays and touchscreens, and looks at how the industry is managing the demand for such technology in even basic products.

  A new reference design platform is showing how today’s technology can drastically improve the performance of industrial PLCs. Sally Ward-Foxton reports.

In August 2014, the USB-IF released the specification for the Type C connector for USB 3.1, promising a simpler and more integrated single-cable solution. Steve Rogerson looks at how likely that might be.

  The promise of truly untethered charging may be nearer than we think, allowing devices to recharge over greater distances, as Philip Ling discovers.

The use of industrial sensors is expected to grow as part of the IoT, but there is little agreement on the technologies that will be used. Steve Rogerson reports.

Sally Ward-Foxton investigates how more advanced process nodes are enabling performance enhancements in the latest-gen FPGA products.

  Established sensing principals are getting a make-over thanks to MEMS technology which is creating quite a stir from both a technology and commercial perspective, as Philip Ling discovers.

Steve Rogerson looks at how one company believes it is keeping 1930s Doherty amplifier technology up to date for modern LTE basestations.

Although MEMS timing products and their relative advantages have long been talked about, the market acceptance of these products is still relatively low. Sally Ward-Foxton investigates why.

Anyone who has contended with too few power sockets or HDMI inputs, cables that are too short to reach your surround sound speakers, or too many remote controls will probably welcome the idea of a simpler solution to home A/V. Philip Ling, ES Design magazine Editor, takes a look at some contenders.