Thinfilm, PST Sensors: Printed Sensors for Food Safety
January 27, 2012
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OSLO, Norway—Thin Film Electronics ASA (Thinfilm) announced a partnership with PST Sensors (pty) Ltd (PST) to jointly develop a printed sensor system that will monitor the temperature of perishable goods such as food and pharmaceuticals. These systems, like other printed electronic solutions, can be manufactured in high volumes at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional silicon microelectronics. The printed sensor system will be able to monitor individual packages to ensure that their contents have been kept at a safe or optimal temperature. The first demonstration prototype is expected this year.
Thinfilm is a leading provider of roll-to-roll printed, rewritable non-volatile memory products. The company recently demonstrated the first working prototype of a printed non-volatile memory device addressed with complementary organic circuits, the organic equivalent of CMOS circuitry. Thinfilm Addressable Memory combines Thinfilm’s polymer-based memory technology with PARC’s transistor technology using complementary pairs of n-type and p-type transistors to construct the circuits. The addressable memory can be integrated with other printed components to create fully printed systems for interaction with everyday objects—a key part of the vision of the “Internet of Things” where virtually any item can communicate with another.
PST Sensors, a spin-out of the University of Cape Town NanoSciences Innovation Centre, is a leading developer of ambient processed printed silicon electronics with a focus on physical sensors. Recently PST has demonstrated a portfolio of prototypes including decorative large area temperature sensors and thermal imaging arrays. PST’s temperature sensors are based around a core technology of a printed silicon NTC thermistor—a device whose electrical resistance decreases when it is heated. Being both printable and electronic, the sensors can be fully integrated with Thinfilm’s memory and with complementary organic circuits.
“The combination of our printed addressable memory and a PST temperature sensor creates a new category of integrated system—inexpensive, intelligent, and able to offer information on temperature on a per item basis—something not currently possible due to manufacturing and material cost restrictions,” said Davor Sutija, CEO, Thinfilm. “These systems, as thin as a strand of hair, will let health care professionals know that a drug has been kept at the right temperature. Participants across the perishable food chain will also know that a piece of meat or carton of eggs has been correctly refrigerated. Ultimately these devices may even tell consumers how fresh their food is.”
Thinfilm is a leading provider of roll-to-roll printed, rewritable non-volatile memory products. The company recently demonstrated the first working prototype of a printed non-volatile memory device addressed with complementary organic circuits, the organic equivalent of CMOS circuitry. Thinfilm Addressable Memory combines Thinfilm’s polymer-based memory technology with PARC’s transistor technology using complementary pairs of n-type and p-type transistors to construct the circuits. The addressable memory can be integrated with other printed components to create fully printed systems for interaction with everyday objects—a key part of the vision of the “Internet of Things” where virtually any item can communicate with another.
PST Sensors, a spin-out of the University of Cape Town NanoSciences Innovation Centre, is a leading developer of ambient processed printed silicon electronics with a focus on physical sensors. Recently PST has demonstrated a portfolio of prototypes including decorative large area temperature sensors and thermal imaging arrays. PST’s temperature sensors are based around a core technology of a printed silicon NTC thermistor—a device whose electrical resistance decreases when it is heated. Being both printable and electronic, the sensors can be fully integrated with Thinfilm’s memory and with complementary organic circuits.
“The combination of our printed addressable memory and a PST temperature sensor creates a new category of integrated system—inexpensive, intelligent, and able to offer information on temperature on a per item basis—something not currently possible due to manufacturing and material cost restrictions,” said Davor Sutija, CEO, Thinfilm. “These systems, as thin as a strand of hair, will let health care professionals know that a drug has been kept at the right temperature. Participants across the perishable food chain will also know that a piece of meat or carton of eggs has been correctly refrigerated. Ultimately these devices may even tell consumers how fresh their food is.”
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