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Material Gains

The IoT could finally permit RFID to reach its full potential.

A "solution waiting for a problem" is a label often affixed to technologies and inventions. It's perhaps one of the harshest judgements the world could pass, after all the time and care and emotional energy that gets poured into its creation. Yet it's a risk any developer must accept. Often, we cannot know for sure that our pet project will take off in any way – much less that it will achieve the incredible success we have seen in some cases over recent years: Google, cellphones, ARPANet....

Read more: RFID: A Solution 100 Years in the Making

Effective electrification could hold the keys to the future of air travel and air superiority.

Many feel our lives enriched by convenient and fast mobility. Our societies and economies have become dependent on the ability to get places quickly in planes, trains and automobiles, but easy mass access to air and road travel now appears at odds with the survival of the planet. We need a zero-emission solution if we are to continue enjoying its benefits, and electrification based on renewable energy appears to offer a way forward. Adoption of electric vehicles is accelerating while development of the internal combustion engine for private automobiles has all but stopped. But what are the prospects for electric aviation?

Read more: Electric Aviation Takes Flight

Switching to electric vehicles may save the planet, but there are challenges along the road.

The trend toward automotive electrification has established car makers and tier ones among the electronics industry’s biggest customers. We all continue to see a significant proportion of our activities and sales revenues associated with the drive for safer, cleaner, more reliable, and more entertaining vehicles.

Among the most interesting technologies is autonomous driving, which is bringing vast quantities of sensors on board – radar, lidar, infrared, camera modules – not to mention the signal processing and software needed to turn that data into real-time driving instructions. Then, of course, there is the transition to all-electric drivetrains, slated to become mandatory in several major markets by about 2030. With that, our takeover of the automobile will be complete!

Read more: The Green Movement Has Some Caution Lights Ahead

So-called “labs-on-a-chip” are leading a testing revolution.

It’s well known that the world’s healthcare needs are increasing as the population is aging. The proportion of the world’s population over 60 years old is projected to rise from around 10% today to 16% by 2040. With this aging, the types of required treatments are also expected to change. Instances of cancer, for example, are expected to increase 47% by 2040.

Read more: How ‘In Silico’ Diagnostics are Democratizing Healthcare