Sensors are vital in modern life. They measure a vast quantity of metrics and parameters, acting as the interface between the physical and digital worlds. Printed sensors can be produced in large areas on flexible substrates, reducing costs and unlocking new market opportunities.

The new IDTechEx report, “Printed and Flexible Sensors 2024-2034: Technologies, Players, Markets,” breaks down key trends by technology approach – highlighting both opportunities and challenges for the industry forecast to reach US$960 million by 2034.

Printed and flexible sensors can measure a plethora of properties, including touch, force, pressure, displacement, temperature, electrical signals, and gas concentration. One of the earliest and now most ubiquitous printed sensor technologies is printed force sensors, which are used in cars for seat occupancy detection. Yet printed sensors can offer value in a variety of commercial sectors such as healthcare, wearables, consumer electronics, industry, and logistics.

IDTechEx predicts that while force sensors are anticipated to continue dominating revenue share, other printed and flexible sensor technology markets are poised for growth over the next decade. For example, printed sensors are seeing early adoption in consumer electronic devices, from laptops to power tools.

Moreover, prominent emerging automotive applications include battery health monitoring and human-machine interfaces. Printed sensor innovation is also now evolving to meet the market demand for multi-functionality. As such, hybrid printed sensor technologies pose a disruptive new threat to existing sensor industries, in addition to unlocking wholly new and novel use cases.

The printed and flexible sensor market report critically evaluates eight printed sensor technologies, covering printed piezoresistive sensors and force sensors (FSRs), piezoelectric sensors, photodetectors, temperature sensors, strain sensors, gas sensors, capacitive touch sensors, and wearable electrodes.

The report also discusses areas of innovation in manufacturing printed sensors, including a focus on emerging material options as well as the technology underlying the manufacturing processes.