FlexTech

We fold our clothing. Our bath towels. Our sheets. And for the more artistically inspired among us, our origami. So why not our smartphones and tablets – those marvelously expansive if physically rigid windows to the world?Turns out we’re tantalizingly close to seeing flexible OLED displays, the only barrier to foldable smartphones, a full session on flexible displays at 2018FLEX, Feb. 12-15 in Monterey, California, revealed. With prototype flexible displays in play and the basic technology available, all that’s left before adoption are efficient processing and product development. Ross Young, founder and CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) put it this way at the mid-February gathering of flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) industry players in Monterey, California: “If panel manufacturers can produce foldable OLEDs at sufficient yields to bring down costs and prices, and brands can develop products that unleash the form factor advantages of OLEDs and better communicate the performance and power benefits of OLEDs, the whole OLED supply chain will benefit.” Of course, prototype development is a key step in proving out designs of OLED displays and other FHE products. Now developers now have help with a process design kit from Hewlett Packard and NextFlex’s open-source Arduino kit for rapid prototype creation and testing, formally unveiled at 2018FLEX, the 17th annual event organized by SEMI-FlexTech, the Nano-Bio Manufacturing Consortium (NBMC) and NextFlex. The conference, which co-located with the 16th annual MEMS Sensors Technical Congress (MSTC), promotes FHE as one way to enable healthier, safer, simpler and smarter electronics products. Typical of a fledgling industry, a slew of flexible display innovators are working to identify viable markets as they develop prototypes. But some designs have vaulted to product development as they edge closer to commercialization or have already hit the market. The list includes FHE printed antennas, smart tags for asset monitoring, a host of consumer health monitors with wireless communication capabilities, and thrilling large-area display installations like E Ink’s Dazzle® -- wrapped around one side of a new car rental center at San Diego International Airport. Dazzle by E Ink Indeed, sensors for wireless medical applications drew some of the strongest interest at the event. Applications included deep brain stimulation to treat conditions including Parkinson’s, epilepsy, OCD and chronic pain (Cortera Neurotechnologies); human hydration monitoring (GE Research); patch-based wearable monitoring to enable better patient outcomes (Graftworx), and measuring blood oxygen levels using oximeters (University of California Berkeley). UMass Lowell presentation summary on printing textiles In the area of manufacturing – long a focus of FLEX – low-cost, low step-count roll-to-roll processes are advancing rapidly as industrial applications adopt these capabilities. At the same time, NextFlex continues to lead the charge in improving FHE manufacturability by providing public/private funds and leading collaboration initiatives. Manufacturing has been at the heart of many FlexTech technical projects and led to FlexTech’s formation of NextFlex, America’s Manufacturing Innovation Institute for flexible hybrid electronics. Paul Gagnon, IHS Markit, keynotes on the progress of flexible displays “2018FLEX splendidly met its objectives,” said conference chair, Bob Praino, CEO of Chasm Technology. “With the keynotes, we explored the breadth of applications enabled by FHE. With the sessions, we dove into the depths of materials, processing, and components demanded by the end-applications. And the exhibit provided the hands-on opportunity to explore new industry collaborations. FHE has clearly moved beyond conceptual and, best of all, many participants found answers to product needs here at the conference.” Beyond technology, the future brainpower for FHE was also on prominent display at 2018FLEX with college students participating in the Student Poster Session, judged by industry experts. The top three entries: First place: Jonathan Ting from UC Berkeley with a poster titled “Fully Screen-Printed NiO thermistor Arrays” Second place: Talha Agcayazi from North Carolina State University with a poster titled “Multi-Modal Array Sensing with Textiles” Third place: Levent E. Aygun from Princeton University with a poster titled “Sound Identification Using Physically-Expansive Sensing System” Outstanding industry achievements and contributions were also recognized at 2018FLEX with the FLEXI Awards. For a copy of the 2018FLEX proceedings, contact Amy Ly at [email protected]. Heidi Hoffman is senior director of FHE, MEMS and Sensors Marketing, SEMI.

Long promised by science fiction stories, we're now at the threshold of a real revolution where sensors, flexible electronics and printed batteries could finally be playing a key role in the way people mediate their social image through fashion. As an industry veteran, I trust that fashion—not industrial designers—will be in charge of designing successful form factors (plus, it won't be long before IBM Watson helps quantify the "cool" index", the "chic" index, the "comfy" index of any given product).The global apparel market is valued at US$3 trillion, accounting for two percent of the world's GDP. Premium and luxury segments are doing well. In fact, The McKinsey Global Fashion Index forecasts industry sales growth to nearly triple between 2016 and 2018, from 1.5 percent to between 3.5 to 4.5 percent. Yes, some still regard fashion as a frivolous topic, instead of the social identity tool it has always been. It is especially powerful with Millennials, for whom it belongs to pop culture, like social media, music, TV series, sports or gaming.Photo: The author's display on the intersection of fashion and tech at Collette, a luxury retail store in ParisThis in fact might have been the missing key of success for the first generations of "wearables". Although they started by targeting the fashion market, they somehow missed seducing the prestige market. No doubt that their current re-marketing shift into the health sector—especially obvious during the recent CES—will make these devices more relevant and sought-after tools.But as they're stepping into their smart age, fashion brands will have to be more proactive in understanding and integrating electronics. Most of the luxury groupsin Europe and the US have opened some sort of tech pathway. But what about the indie designers, usually the most creative and copied talent of the fashion industry? How can they even dream of getting to the Silicon Valley designers and integrators, with their $500K to $1M prototype price tags?This is why I am excited to be leading the messaging to these brands on the electronics developments and their implications. I am participating at technology industry events (including the upcoming 2018FLEX in Monterrey, California) to gather my own data. Some of the things I am excited about: In a couple of years, mixed reality goggles will miniaturized enough to become a chic accessory on my nose, branded by Saint Laurent or Dior, powered by ODG or Ostendo Technologies. My fashion friends won't be troubled any longer by the "douchetooth" look coming from their Apple Airpods: Cartier Smart Jewelry will work its magic on chic hybrids, gold earrings/airbuds. Instead of lighting Lady Gaga's dresses, designers will finally turn the LEDs inside our garments for a discreet pro-collagen treatment. The NBA Nike jerseys will collect sweat, via fabrics powered by bacteria and movements. Those athletes' biometrics data will be a bounty for coaches and doctors eager to prevent health issues. At home, the NFC tag of my coat will remind me that it could use laundry. All my electronics will power on-the-go thanks to induction charging hidden (printed? woven? embroidered?) in my pockets. Which of these trends can you help start? Send me an invite to meet with you at 2018FLEX! Download the 2018FLEX app to request meetings with any attendees!