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NEC Electronics America Inc. introduced to the Americas twenty-two new 16-bit All Flash microcontrollers (MCUs) for compact, low-power, battery-operated, and sensor-enabled systems. Based on NEC Electronics' high-performance 16-bit 78K0R CPU core, the new 78K0R/Kx3-L MCUs offer very low power consumption to extend battery life, and more on-chip integration to help reduce the size and cost of battery-driven and sensor-enabled systems, such as fire and security alarms, meters, industrial sensors, anti-shake digital cameras, handheld medical diagnostics devices, and data-logging and point-of-sale terminals. In addition to low power consumption, the new lineup offers high-performance on-chip oscillators, built-in circuits for sensor functions, and extended system operating time. "As environmental awareness has grown, energy-saving systems have become particularly reliant on MCU technology," said Jim Trent, Vice President, Multipurpose Microcontroller and Automotive Group, NEC Electronics America. "Over the past several years, NEC Electronics has delivered many ultra-low-power 8- and 32-bit MCUs that have met the demand for energy efficiency. With the introduction of the new 78K0R/Kx3-L devices, however, NEC Electronics is now delivering the benefits of energy efficiency in its 16-bit products."

Growing a mixed "lawn" of two kinds of nanowires can make a new kind of light-sensing array that could be made in metre-scale sheets. The researchers behind the prototype say such cheap, high-quality image sensors would allow uses not conceivable using today's more expensive technology. Current sensors, such as those found in digital cameras, are made like any other silicon chip - they are carved out from a block of material. The new nanowire sensors are instead built from the bottom up, using chemically-grown nano-sized components. A research team led by Ali Javey, at the University of California, Berkeley, developed the process. They start by growing an unruly "lawn" of nanowires on a surface. The crop is then printed onto another surface, a step that simultaneously tidies them up. "At the first stage, the nanowires are more-or-less standing up, like a bad hair day. But during the printing process, they effectively get combed," says Javey. The nanowires, which are a few tenths of a millimetre long and a few tens of nanometres wide, can be printed onto anything from silicon to plastic or paper. Whatever the surface, it must be prepared with a pattern that guides the nanowires to predetermined locations. To make the functioning sensor, two different "crops" of nanotubes are printed onto the same surface. Cadmium selenide nanowires produce electric charge when hit by light, while those made from silicon-coated germanium act as transistors to amplify that charge.

"Today, the parking industry is being transformed by new technologies that are enabling cities to reduce levels of congestion significantly. Sensor networks that detect vehicle occupancy are providing the basic intelligence behind smart parking systems, which provide real-time parking availability information to make it easier for drivers to find a parking space."

"What are the most important key performance indicators? There are, for example, indicators defining the temperature changes in reference rooms. This includes what is referred to as hours of overheating in summer. If the room temperature exceeds 26 degrees Celsius during more than 10 percent of the hours of use during a year, the room comfort is no longer achieved. Other indicators measure air quality. For example, there are CO2 sensors or so-called VOC-sensors that detect certain scents emitted by the users themselves. If the data exceed certain values, the performance in terms of air quality is not considered as good. In addition, there are energy performance indicators, such as an indicator for the overall energy efficiency of a building. We simply measure the energy that is supplied to the building. We then compare the data to pre-calculated values. We can then evaluate whether the building achieves the desired energy performance. Another indicator is the so-called net energy consumption. This is the energy that users actually have to pay for. "

Printable electronics have taken off in recent years, and there are now industrial-scale printing machines that can efficiently deposit a variety of flexible electronic components onto flexible substrates to create wearable sensors, displays, smart packaging labels, and other printable products. However, developing printable, flexible energy-storage devices, such as supercapacitors and batteries has lagged behind.

"Advanced weapons and sensors with higher power demands as well as energy security will continue to be the primary electrical requirement drivers during this period. "

"The global market for conductive inks is estimated at >$2.5 billion in annual revenues and will continue to grow as applications proliferate in sensors, wearables, smart packaging, flexible electronics, OLEDs, thin-film transistors, photovoltaics, smart textiles, automotive and more."

Sumitomo has stated that it has experienced a rise in demand for its products as the production of automobiles has increased. The growing number of hybrid vehicles as well as the standard inclusion of car navigation systems and sensors has pushed up demand further.