Stretchable electronics: out of the lab and into the market

Stretchable
electronics: out of the lab and into the market 
IDTechEx

Cambridge, UK

Stretchable electronics: out of the lab and into the market
By James Hayward, Senior Technology Analyst, IDTechEx
 

Whilst the latest electronic components continue to push the
boundaries of performance, there are many that now see Moore’s Law reaching its
ultimate limits. Electronic devices continue to achieve increasing levels of
ubiquity, but for this to continue, electronics need new form factors in order
to integrate seamlessly into our surroundings. IDTechEx Research’s brand new report, StretchableElectronics 2017 – 2027, summarises all of the most
important information with regards to the commercialisation of stretchable
electronics. This major paradigm shift towards novel form factors has been in
the making for more than a decade now, yet is only now beginning to make a
substantial commercial impact.

The report covers all stretchable electronic materials and
components that are either commercial today, or are approaching
commercialisation within the next decade. This ranges from established growing
markets (various sensor types, circuit boards and other stretchable connectors
and cabling, etc.), to new emerging markets (stretchable examples of conductive
inks, TCF and e-textiles, relevant substrates for each, other sensors including
smart skins, in-mold electronics,
etc.) and finally to long-term projects in stretchable electronics which remain
largely academic today but will become more important with time (energy storage
and harvesting solutions, new sensor types, displays, transistors and more).

Technology readiness for stretchable electronic components. 

Source: Stretchable Electronics 2017-2027 (www.IDTechEx.com/stretchable)

In the last few years there has been a significant influx of
commercial players introducing new stretchable electronic products to the
market. Most of these new commercial examples have presented material and
component options that will find their way into new stretchable products in the
coming years. With detailed 10-year forecasts for 10 different component types
and pooled data from 32 different product types, the report offers the most
comprehensive overview of stretchable electronic offerings today,
leveragingIDTechEx’s extensive
work over the last decade.

These stretchable electronic components will form the basis of
new products across a series of industries. In some cases, these products will
be novel, as stretchability enables electronics to go where they
have not been present before. This could be part of skin patches, surgical
catheter, within a compression garment or bandage or as a smart skin or novel
end effector for a robot. In other
cases, stretchable electronics will enhance our existing products, enabling us
to add to existing electronic functionality and improve its utility. This could
be as an extension to an existing medical device, or a new one in a hospital
bedsheet or gown, as a console in a vehicle or in white goods or as other
structural electronics, examples of which are beginning to appear today. The
report forecasts pool data from 32 product types into 6 different categories
and 5 different vertical markets.

Forecast summary showing 16 separate component types from
2017-2027.

Source: Stretchable Electronics 2017-2027 (www.IDTechEx.com/stretchable)

This report has been compiled and summarised over many years at
IDTechEx. With active coverage of industries including conductive inks, TCFs,
e-textiles, sensors, printed and flexible electronics, displays, energy storage
and harvesting, IDTechEx’s analysts have had the opportunity to
compile the state of the art in stretchable and flexible examples from each of
these sectors. This is the only report which offers both a breadth of coverage,
but also an extensive collection of first-hand primary research. Specifically,
the report contains primary research from 59 separate companies, including
photographs, site visits, conference visits and telephone interviews, as well
as detailed information of over 100 organisations, both academic and
commercial.

This report is the essential guide to any company that is
active, interested or competing directly within the electronics space as a
whole. New form factors are already entering the market as peripheral devices
(e.g. sensors or as connectors between rigid components), but will increasingly
reach mainstream applications and products. This report provides a detailed
roadmap towards the likely commercial situation in a decade, and infers
relative growth rates and opportunity beyond this.

For more information about this brand new report, you can view the summary online at www.IDTechEx.com/stretchable, as well as
downloading sample pages or contacting IDTechEx directly for more information.