Materials are needed to replace the estimated 50,000 metric tons of tin-lead solder currently used each year, but there are no 'drop-in' replacements for eutectic tin-lead solder. $1.2bn of Electrically Conductive Adhesives (ECAs) are already selling each year and they are becoming increasingly common to replace solders in a variety of functions, applications and industries.

IDTechEx Wearable Europe brings together a global community of innovators behind the best of wearable technology today. IDTechEx analysts have constructed a two-day agenda assembling key innovators and thought leaders to discuss key aspects of this rapidly evolving industry. Within the broader IDTechEx show, you will see the best of new technology that is already causing disruption today, as well as a glimpse at the materials, components and prod...

The battery market has suddenly become alive again in recent years. On the one hand, batteries are assuming new form factors, becoming ultra-thin, flexible, rollable, stretchable, etc. On the other hand, manufacturers are scrambling to offer larger batteries aimed at addressing EV and grid applications. By Dr Xiaoxi He, Technology Analyst, IDTechEx.

  Microsoft has tested a prototype of a self-contained data centre that can operate hundreds of feet below the surface of the ocean, in efforts to reducing the need for expensive air-conditioning. By Rachel Gordon, Technology Analyst, IDTechEx.

Nowadays a major trend is the move to off-grid clean energy created by 'energy harvesting' to produce electricity where it is needed. This is more controllable and increasingly at lower cost than grid power or diesel gensets, cleaner and often less subject to interruption. It is taking new forms as revealed in the IDTechEx Research report, 'High Power Energy Harvesting 2016-2026'.

  Start-ups can exhibit free of charge at IDTechEx Show! in Berlin, Germany (27 - 28 April). Resarch company, IDTechEx has announed the EVES Launchpad exhibition space, but entry submissions must be received by Friday 26 February 2016.

Content is king. And when it comes to new display technologies this mantra certainly makes a lot of sense. After all, what would be the point of getting the latest TV on the market if you just had some old DVDs to watch? Good content is what justifies a hardware upgrade. By Dr Guillaume Chansin, Senior Technology Analyst, IDTechEx.

If the buzz at the Consumer Electronics Show is any indication of things to come (and it usually is), 2016 is expected to be the year of VR. Much anticipated VR headset launches, announcement of investment in enabling technologies and developments of optimised components made VR the words on everyone's lips at CES 2016. By Dr Harry Zervos, Principal Analyst, IDTechEx.

Printed and flexible electronics applications are on the increase with a variety of components and devices coming to market and the automotive sector is no exception. Overall, the market is expected to grow to over $5.5 billion dollars in the next decade.

The first industrial robot, Unimate, went into operation at a General Motors plant in 1961. Over the next few decades the use of industrial robot arms in the automotive industry matured. More recently, the use of industrial robot arms in the cleanroom environments of the semiconductor and electronics industries also matured. By Dr Jon Harrop, Director, IDTechEx.

Whilst the majority of wearable technology products sold today still fit with the components-in-a-box design, 2015 has been a record year for investment in smart clothing and e-textile products. To reach the masses, wearable technology must be useful, practical and fashionable: seamless integration within textiles and clothing is seen as a key part of this. However, with many challenges, not least around washability, durability and in manufacturi...

Vehicles are electrifying at a breakneck speed and they are being completely reinvented with developments in many components and systems. Disruptive change and significant technological innovation is now being seen across all forms of electric vehicles for land, water and air. The fruits of all this are spectacular – from the vehicles themselves to over $500bn market opportunity that will be created by 2026. IDTechEx Research analyses and f...

Ever since Sony launched the first television with quantum dots in 2013, these highly engineered materials have been back in the spotlight. In the new report Quantum Dots 2016-2026: Applications, Markets, Manufacturers. IDTechEx Research forecasts that shipments of quantum dots will increase significantly in the next ten years. By Guillaume Chansin, Senior Technology Analyst, IDTechEx.

Ten short years ago 3D printing was almost the exclusive remit of rapid prototyping. Nobody was putting 3D printing into mass production back then. Fast forward one decade and the world leader in jet engines, GE, are 3D printing over 100,000 fuel nozzles for their next-gen LEAP gas turbines that could be flying around in commercial aircraft as early as 2016. By Dr Jon Harrop, Director, IDTechEx.

Defining and exploiting value proposition is an essential part of wearable technology's journey from early adopters into mass markets. Sensor platforms enable the key value proposition in most wearable devices today. This is why made-for-wearable sensors are being developed around the world and why IDTechEx Research finds that made-for-wearable sensors will represent 42% of all sensors in wearable devices in 2026, up from a measly 7% in 2015.

Thin, flexible and printed batteries have the potential to be widely used in wearable and medical devices and will reach a market of over $400m in a decade, according to IDTechEx report Flexible, Printed and Thin Film Batteries 2015-2025: Technologies, Forecasts, Players. By Dr Xiaoxi He, Technology Analyst, IDTechEx.

Elon Musk recently announced the use of silicon by Tesla in its automotive batteries: “This is just sort of a baby step in the direction of using silicon in the anode, but we will be increasing the use”. This unusual side comment has nonetheless triggered renewed interested in the topic. IDTechEx Research has been studying the topic for some time and finds that Si anode batteries will generate more than $4bn in 2026. By Franco Gonzal...

Oakridge Global Energy Solutions recently announced its plan to fully utilise the many patents developed & owned by the company on solid-state batteries. Oakridge Global Energy Solutions will complete the last phase of pre-production prototyping in early 2016 and will be ready for full commercial product and manufacturing in late 2016 to early 2017. Commercialisation of solid-state battery indicates a new era for the $135bn addressable batter...

Advanced microelectronics are moving on from the Moore’s Law era to be More-than-Moore. Denser chips have higher internal and external clock rates, and higher power dissipation. 

The following is an article by Raghu Das, CEO, IDTechEx, the global research and business intelligence firm that created the IDTechEx Show! USA 2015, which will be held on the 18th-19th of November, in Santa, Clara, California. Today’s emerging technologies are varied, vast and moving at the blink of an eye. Here are the top 10 key trends we’ll see at the show that are changing the way the world lives, works and plays.