Today, the word "organic" is used to describe everything from fruits and vegetables grown without pesticides to eco-friendly paint, sustainable clothing, and even electronics. According to the Organic and Printed Electronics Association (OE-A), the leading international industry experts in this area, electronics that go beyond the classic silicon approach fit into a growing category of "emerging electronics."
The OE-A defines this new breed as a blend of organic, polymer or inorganic materials used to create electrical components that are ultrathin, lightweight, flexible, robust and produced at a low cost. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, game-changing products using smart and stretchable electronics were showcased alongside major mobility, digital health and IoT innovations.
In the automotive market, in particular, flexible hybrid electronics, combining printed and traditional ultrathin, silicon-based electronics, are making major inroads. Late last year, Cadillac announced that its 2021 Escalade would sport the first curved OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display in the automotive industry. Featuring twice the pixel density of a 4K television and supplied by LG Electronics, this major technology breakthrough uses plastic OLED-based digital technology to provide two infotainment screens and an instrument panel to display a wealth of audio, video and navigation content.
This futuristic display not only sets a new standard for the automotive industry, but it unlocks a wealth of opportunities for television screens, computer monitors, smartphones, game consoles, human machine interfaces for appliances, etc. The promise of emerging electronics to transform entire industries is palpable, but fulfilling its potential requires equal and heaping measures of ingenuity and perseverance.
Beyond Moore's Law: Flexible Hybrid Electronics
For more than a half-century, advancements in electronics have been measured by Moore's Law and the theory that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles about every two years. When printed electronics first emerged decades ago, some industry pundits predicted the premature end of Moore's Law while others argued printed electronics wouldn't survive because early applications for low-cost RFID and flexible LCD displays failed.
With RFID, printed electronics couldn't scale sufficiently to meet performance demands. They also didn't prove cost-competitive for LCD applications, especially given the rapid descent of traditional LCD pricing. Following these two strikes, there was a time when printed electronics seemed like nothing more than a good idea that did not pan out.
Luckily, designers and engineers are a stubborn bunch, so learnings from the first failures to commercialize printed electronics helped fuel continued exploration and collaboration. The result? The perfect blend of printed, flexible and ultrathin, silicon-based electronics — more commonly known as flexible hybrid electronics (FHE).
With FHE, product designers can flex their creative muscles in new and exciting ways. Evidence comes in the surge of new products and applications that leverage thinner semiconductors and rubbery, stretchable plastic substrates, like elastomers used for rubber bands. This unique combination is transforming just about every industry sector while producing breakthroughs in wearables, consumer packaging, smart-home appliances, energy products and more.
FHE is a great example of three technologies coming together as an expansion — not a replacement — of Moore's Law. It's important to recognize that one technology isn't cannibalizing or competing with the other. Rather, FHE makes it possible to apply the best attributes of peaceful coexistence.
Technology in Harmony
In a world of near-constant disruption, it's a big deal when technologies work in harmony. For starters, old design rules are readily challenged, and restrictive processes are replaced with a free flow of ideas among inventors and product designers. An interesting push-and-pull process typically ensues, as one side tests conventional wisdom while the other pulls back based on technical limitations, adoption friction or commercialization concerns.
A great example of the symbiotic collaboration between product and manufacturing engineers comes from a project our company worked on with Recovery Force, a leader in wearable compression technology for blood-clot prevention. The company developed shape-changing memory fibers that could be embedded into garments and footwear for therapeutic compression. The trick was ensuring the wearable technology was rigid enough to include pulsating wires, yet flexible enough to be comfortable for wearers as they moved.
Engineers and product designers from both companies embedded electronics into textiles while ensuring optimum functionality, durability, comfort and convenience. While it can be difficult to strike the right balance among these criteria, FHE is a major ingredient in the innovation formula.
Another prime example is in the use of fluid-level sensors in auto-replenishment systems for consumer packaging. Low-profile, conformal labels can turn standard product labels into smart packages that monitor quality, temperature and freshness while automating reordering.
Other examples include Myant Inc.'s Skiin Connected Health & Wellness System and PassiveBolt's Shepherd Lock. Myant's conductive wearables connect to its Skiin app, allowing people to monitor their health throughout the day, and PassiveBolt's smart door locking system allows a homeowner to monitor a lock and access the lock remotely.
A New World of Experiences
Thanks to FHE, product designers can drive substantive advances in human-machine interfaces, which will drive massive improvements in smart appliances and other similar products. Just think of the possibilities: A VR/AR game can enter a new dimension with haptics technology powered by flexible electronics. Adorning an FHE-enabled shirt, for instance, can create a realistic simulation of racecar driving or cliff diving. It's all part of a new world of experiences made possible by electronics that deliver the ultimate immersive experiences.
In the future, flexible hybrid electronics could function like "wonder tape." Just peel off a section and apply it where needed to create the perfect recipe for a bounty of innovation.
