This week at LOPEC, the preeminent event in printed electronics held in Munich, the Eurecat technology centre is showcasing new advanced technology platforms for real-time water quality monitoring which combine high-precision sensors and printed electronics with communication and data analysis systems to optimise water resource management.
These multi-parametric platforms enable continuous on-site information gathering on parameters such as pH, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and chlorine for quick anomaly detection. This enables “proactive decision-making in water resource management and predictive maintenance, helping to make environmental management more efficient and sustainable by unlocking green electronics,” says Cristina Casellas, director of Eurecat’s Functional Printing and Embedded Systems Unit.
Furthermore, multi-parametric devices “are so versatile that they help to cut costs in materials, transport and handling of samples while at the same time making it possible to take decisions at the point of collection which means faster preventive action.”
Specifically, Eurecat is displaying at its booth Watture platforms which are used in diverse environments for water quality analysis, environmental monitoring and detecting pollutants such as nitrates in agricultural water or heavy metals including mercury, cadmium or lead in seawater.
Printed electronics technology makes it possible to manufacture flexible, lightweight and affordable environmental monitoring sensors which can be embedded in a variety of surfaces and devices.
In green electronics, Eurecat is showing at LOPEC organic and semitransparent solar cells which ensure complementary light absorption for plant growth and enable agriculture and energy generation to work together with flexible photovoltaic panels to pave the way for dual-use solar.
In sports, the technology centre is presenting at the fair in conjunction with Onalabs printed sensors embedded in devices for continuous and non-invasive smart monitoring of athletes harnessing sweat biomarkers to track dehydration status and lactic acid levels.
This solution developed with functional printing is interconnected with the Internet of Things (IoT) to enable monitoring the athlete’s health parameters during training.
Compositronics with natural fibres
Eurecat is also showing at the LOPEC fair a smart wristband equipped with built-in flexible antennas with applications for access control, product personalisation or connection to the Internet of Things which has been developed for Composites ATE, a specialist in manufacturing composite materials and product engineering.
This innovation has enabled further progress in compositronics technology for developing functional composite materials towards more sustainable materials tapping natural fibres. The innovation has been created at Eurecat’s plastronics pilot plant specialised in functional printing and embedded devices.
