Product Inspiration

I spend a lot of time talking about how important “manufacturability” is. While it takes a bit of fun out of the whole technology research work we do, its very important to our clients to know that the cool technologies we present are not only shown to work in the lab, but also have some promise of being cheaply mass produceable.

OLEDs are finally living up to the promise of being cheaply mass produceable, as GE has just demonstrated its roll-to-roll printing system for the thin, flexible displays. If the other promises also ring true, this will mean cheap, flexible displays in everything from cell phones to TVs to bus stop ads.

http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/ge_demonstrates_worlds_first_rollt oroll_manufactured_oled.php

As most of your already know, there is a LOT of R & D resources being put into ethanol these days. Here’s one development in particular that seems a good candidate for success. Like other promising methods, it can take a huge range of feed stocks (from food processing by-products to sewage waste), and does the conversion through specially engineered bacteria that consume the processed feedstock and excrete ethanol. Unlike some other promising methods though, this system is both cost effective and immediately ready for deployment.

http://www.wired.com/cars/energy/news/2008/01/ethanol23

Technorati : bacteria, ethanol

Another feature straight out of science fiction and Hollywood, Kraft is working on ‘programmable food’ that will allow you to customize the flavor of a meal or drink using nanoparticles and a custom-tuned microwave. The process revolves around nano-capsules which contain the flavor and color of the desired drink. To release the contents of these capsules, a special microwave will send energy into the beverage, rupturing the capsules according to a preset frequency.

While this is a very cool concept, I cannot see this being very popular in the near future. New Coke taught us that despite how similar a new product may be, without an identical flavor and look, no one will want to drink it. Lets hope that Kraft pulls it off and actually makes some decent tasting stuff out of this new tech- personally, all I can imagine is a cup of sprite-tasting water that does little more than frustrate my taste buds.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/futureoffood/story/0,,19712 66,00.html#article_continue via medgadget

A new startup has announced that they are now selling a new, much cheaper solar panel. Their manufacturing method allows the panels to be printed onto sheets of aluminum, which is MUCH cheaper than the traditional methods. Cost estimates are around $2 a watt for a full system, which falls slightly under coal’s $2.1 a watt (which seems a bit suspect), and much less than solar’s traditional $4 per watt.

Printable electronics, solar panels, and other goods which conventionally require lots of assembly and effort during manufacturing will make a huge impact in the next 5 years. The methods have been under development for quite a few years, but we are finally seeing some practical applications. The good news is that manufacturers will continue to get better and better at printing new complex goods for the next 15 to 20 years, so ideally the prices we pay for electronics (and solar power) should continually drop. Maybe the big talk will prove true, and solar will actually compete as a major power source…

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/technology/18solar.html?_r=2&ref=tec hnology&oref=slogin&oref=slogin via gizmodo

Technorati : printable, solar

This new advancement by Nanosolar could be the first to actually bring the efficiency of solar power to the point that it directly competes with conventional energy (coal, fossil fuels, etc.). The new technology is a coating, rather than a whole cell, and drops the cost from $3 a watt to 30 cents a watt. Since it is a coating, it can be applied to all kinds of different materials ansd surfaces, and unlike the conventional silicon cells, it is not brittle and will not break easily. And if these benefits are not enough, the material can be printed using roll to roll processing, which practically guarantees cheaper and cheaper costs as time goes on.

Keep an eye on this technology- it may be the breaking point that takes solar energy from novelty to practical large scale power generation.

http://www.celsias.com/2007/11/23/nanosolars-breakthrough-technology-s olar-now-cheaper-than-coal/

Technorati : coatings, nanosolar, solar cells, thin film

The construction and assembly of these shelves are about as easy as it gets. They are cut from a single sheet of steel, and only require a little bending and a couple of screws to install. I really like this design because it:

• reduces shipping cost
• makes assembly and installation very easy
• reduces both material and manufacturing costs
• could eventually be a ‘downloadable product’ (you would download the design and cut/print it yourself on a home CNC or 3d printer)

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/10/bend_it_like_pi.php

One of the most intriguing aspects of the ongoing price drops in 3d printers is the possibility of ‘downloading products‘. This means that you would download a design for anything from a simple hair comb to a complex radio or cellphone, and then your printer would create the product. While the multiple materials and complex assembly required for electronics mean that that capability is quite a few years away from our living rooms, here’s a great, simple use of 3d printers to make useable goods. This mesh-like fabric is printed on 3d printers, and is available for sale in all kinds of different objects (purses, bags, etc.).

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/09/freedom_of_crea.php

Technorati : 3d printing, downloadable products, portable electronics

Some eggheads at MIT are working on a smart paper which has wires, sensors, and computer chips embedded inside the paper. There are multiple other entities working on this type of technology to provide cheap, flexible, and intelligent electronic devices (effectively eliminating the bulky size of our phones and ipods), but MIT’s method of using conductive ink seems to really be able to make much bigger strides in reducing cost and complexity.

http://technology.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn12663

Technorati : printable electronics

High end prototyping machines are following the model (ha!) of modern day timeshares by allowing businesses to buy fractional ownership of the machines, and in effect guaranteeing an output of a certain amount of prototypes per year.

3D Printers are great tools for all kinds of different organizations in design and development- related fields. While the fact that the price is dropping rapidly for entry-level machines is a story of its own, the high-end machines remain costly due to their much better capabilities (larger part size, better part materials, potential to use multiple materials and colors, etc.). This new paradigm allows smaller businesses to get the functionality of one of these machines without the six figure investment. Now excuse me while I go put in a purchase order.

http://www.designnews.com/article/CA6470757.html?nid=2881

Technorati : 3d printers, timeshare