New Trends on Our Radar - April 2013

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Trends on our Radar

Our regular pick of five hot technology areas and some of the leading innovative companies leading the way (April 2013) Produced by our Open Innovation and Technology Scouting team

Five Emerging Technology Areas and their Leading Innovators

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Self-Healing Materials

Internet of Things

Education

Personal Manufacturing

Civilian Drones


Self-Healing Materials Medium Term Trend

Self-healing materials have the ability to repair cracks and other damage without the need for human intervention. Cracks and damage to materials—even at a microscopic level—alter their acoustic, electrical and thermal properties resulting in the need for costly repairs or even leading to structural failure. The ability to self-heal is common throughout nature as a way to address this problem, and material scientists are increasingly reproducing this ability in everyday materials.


Example Innovators

Autonomic Materials, IL, USA Autonomic Materials has developed self-healing microcapsules that are incorporated into coatings, paints and adhesives. When these are damaged the microcapsules are activated, releasing the self-healing agents into the damaged area. The technology reduces re-coating costs and associated downtime.

TU Delft (Research), Netherlands Delft University of Technology engineering professor Erik Schlangen has created self-healing asphalt for road surfaces. By including small steel fibres in the road surface material it is possible to use induction energy to close micro cracks in the road and double the service life of the surface.

MIT (Research), USA By studying blood clots as a model for self-healing materials, researchers at MIT are developing self-healing materials for processes that have a flow such as inks, pigments or self-healing tires.


Internet of Things Near Term Trend

The ‘Internet of Things’ is the result of sensors and actuators embedded in physical objects—from roadways to pacemakers—that are linked through wired and wireless networks, often using the same Internet Protocol that connects the Internet. By allowing objects to both sense their environment and communicate, they become powerful tools for understanding complexity and responding to it rapidly and intelligently.


Example Innovators

Streetline, CA, USA Streetline helps to make cities ‘smart’ by placing ultralow power wireless sensors in parking spaces to provide real-time intelligence on available spaces. The data is connected to mobile apps, which drivers can use to find an available space, and software and analytics also enable cities to improve their planning decisions.

Enevo, Finland Enevo optimizes waste management logistics by determining when waste containers need to be emptied. Enevo’s system consists of wireless sensors and big data analytics which calculate the best collection schedules and routes based on real-time monitoring of each waste container.

SigFox, France SigFox is building a cellular network that is suitable for connecting sensors to the internet in a way that consumes very little energy, and allows for very long-range connections.


Education Medium Term Trend

Advances in technology and social media have had a profound impact on many industries, but one area that has arguably remained unchanged for centuries is education. Many now believe that this is about to change.


EdX, MA, USA edX is a not-for-profit enterprise of MIT and Harvard University that offers online learning to on-campus students and to millions of people around the world. The edX open-source online learning platform is designed to be available to anyone in the world with an internet connection.

Lore, USA [Acquired in

March 2013] Lore provides professors and students with a website that allows them to create an online community for sharing updates and other comments about educational content.

Example Innovators

2U, MD, USA 2U partners with top-tier universities to convert their courses into digital format so that they can be delivered online. Founded in 2008, the company provides universities with the technologies, infrastructural support and capital to transform their on-campus programs into high-quality, web-based programs.


Personal Manufacturing Medium Term Trend

The advantages of using 3D printers for personal manufacturing are significant, allowing individuals and small businesses to cost-effectively design customised products that can be stored and delivered digitally. The technology also allows for more efficient use of resources, for example by allowing consumers to print replacement parts for home appliances rather than having to get them shipped.


Example Innovators

Shapeways, USA / Netherlands Shapeways is a spin-out of the lifestyle incubator of Royal Philips Electronics , operating a leading 3D Printing marketplace where individuals can make, buy and sell their own products. Custom products designed by over 10,000 independent creators are made to order and delivered globally.

Makerbot, NY, USA Makerbot manufactures simple, fast, and affordable desktop 3D printers for personal and industrial use. As well as taking the 3D printing into the home at an affordable price the technology is being used by organisations including NASA, which is using the technology to built parts for the Mars Rover.

Continuum, CA, USA Continuum allows users to design clothing online and then manufactures it for them using 3D printers . The company says its N12 bikini is the world's first completely 3D-printed article of clothing.


Civilian Drones Medium Term Trend

The potential for widespread use of drones in non-military applications is increasing as prices drop. Small drones are made from many of the same components as consumer devices, with economies of scale driving down the cost of gyroscopes, accelerometers, GPS chips, and CPUs. The developers of technology originally intended for military use are also becoming increasingly interested in potential applications in domestic markets.


Example Innovators

Pix4D, Switzerland Pix4D has developed Pix4UAV, a software package that converts thousands of standard pictures, taken by readily available drones, into a professional geo-referenced image and a accurate 3D model. The technology is designed to enable civilian unmanned aerial vehicles to be used as advanced mapping and surveying tool for the mining industry, for civil engineering, precision farming and urban area modelling.

HoneyComb, OR, USA HoneyComb uses unmanned aircraft systems to provide better data for precision agriculture. The company is able to gather and decipher large amounts of data in a cost-effective and scalable manner allowing agriculturists to decrease resource usage, increase farm profits, and enhance global food security.


Thank you www.ventureradar.com @venture_radar Andrew Thomson, Director Email: [email protected]

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Date post:	01-Nov-2014
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