Flexible and printed electronics manufacturers made some interesting headway toward commercialization during 2020, with promising products either reaching the market or getting close. Here is Printed Electronics Now’s list of Most Intriguing Flexible and Printed Electronics Products of 2020.

In alphabetical order:

• Dr. Jean Bausch GmbH & Co. KG – OccluSense

Flexible and printed electronics made a lot of gains in the area of healthcare during the past year, and Dr. Jean Bausch GmbH & Co. KG’s OccluSense is a perfect example of print-ng sensors. Dr. Jean Bausch GmbH & Co. KG is a longtime leader in the field of special articulating–occlusion materials, and working in conjunction with Heidelberg and InnovationLab, the company has commercialized OccluSense. Utilizing more than 1,000 printed sensors to accurately record the masticatory pressure, OccluSense is thin and flexible, and is earning awards and plaudits from dentists.

• Enfucell Oy – Wearable Temperature Tag

With the tragic COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the world during 2020, companies looked for ways to combat the pandemic. Among the successful solutions was Enfucell Oy’s Wearable Temperature Tag, featuring its printed battery. Manufactured using screen-printing, these tags were particularly successful in China, where medical personnel used these tags to measure and record patients’ body temperature.

• IEE – ActiSense Insole Sensor

Medical sensors that measure a patient’s gait is proving to be an area where printed electronics can provide a solution. IEE is best known as the industry leader for a wide range of safety sensors for the automotive market, but with ActiSense, IEE is branching out into the healthcare field. ActiSense is an insole sensor that collects data when the user is walking, and IEE reports that it is ideal for rehabilitation, elderly care, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients and diabetic foot care.

• Jones Healthcare Group – CpaX NFC Connected Packaging

Monitoring medication adherence among patients is not a simple task, and the human toll of non-usage of medication is incalculable. With its leadership in the field of smart packaging, Jones Healthcare Group has come up with a solution, CpaX NFC Connected Packaging. Jones Healthcare has developed a proprietary process to print conductive traces of ink onto paperboard for blister packaging for medication, which serves as break sensors that can detect when a blister cavity is opened or closed.

• UbiQD – UbiGro Luminescent Greenhouse Films

Quantum dots are making gains in the TV and display market, but there are other applications for QD. One intriguing possibility is the area of agriculture. Working with Nanosys, UbiQD has developed is UbiGro luminescent greenhouse films. Installed above plants in a greenhouse, UbiGro uses fluorescence to convert under-utilized portions of sunlight to more photosynthetically efficient orange light. UbiQD notes that pilot customers in the US and Europe are reporting higher production yields and improved harvests.