The remarkable price increases in particular US stocks, most notably GameStop, made the news last week as the power of retail investors to move markets became clear. On Monday 1st Feb, the BBC reported that silver prices increased by around 10 % as retail investors turned their attention to commodities, reaching a 5-month high of almost $950/kg.

Wednesday 3 February 2021 - 5G communications has come to a phone near you and 6G communications received strong investment in 2020 as we move to its standards, specification and substantial rollout in 2030. However, this time will be different because the objective is far more heroic.

Printing solar panels like newsprint using organic semiconductors is the longstanding aspiration, given the obvious benefits of renewable energy and the potential for low-cost, large-area, energy-efficient production.

Multiple drivers are emerging for graphene as the value-added material of choice. One market driver that is perhaps surprising but will have a major impact over the next decade is sustainability.

The new IDTechEx report, "Transparent Electronics Materials, Applications, Markets 2021-2041", describes a market increasing fivefold from 2021-2031. By 2041 it will be over $23 billion.

Tuesday 26 January 2021 - Competitive landscape amongst leading actuator manufacturers; comparison of various emerging technology options and their commercial potential; broader themes in haptic feedback and go-to-market approaches and a review from recent industry events (including CES 2021)

IDTechEx currently have a number of energy storage related webinars available to watch on-demand. These include presentations on 2020 highlights, solid-state batteries, li-ion recycling, stationary energy storage, hydrogen economy and redox flow batteries.

Wednesday 13 January 2021 - This webinar, presented by IDTechEx Chairman Dr Peter Harrop, explains how, of the trillions of dollars being spent on smart cities, the advanced materials part is rising to hundreds of billions yearly.

IDTechEx currently have a number of printed electronics related webinars, including 2020 end of year highlights, available to watch on-demand today. These include presentations on printed sensors, micro-LED displays and electronics reshaped.

New report available from IDTechEx - "Haptics 2021-2031: Technologies, Market & Players". This in-depth report includes ERM motors, LRAs, piezoelectric ceramics and polymers, surface haptics, SMAs, electroactive polymers, kinaesthetic and contactless haptic feedback.

IDTechEx currently have a number of 3D Printing-related webinars available to watch on-demand. These include presentations on 3D electronics, metal additive manufacturing and the impact of COVID-19 on the 3D Printing Industry.

IDTechEx currently have a number of robotics-related webinars available to watch on-demand. These include presentations on robotic surgery, autonomous cars, robotics in agriculture and sensors.

The brand new IDTechEx report, Transparent Electronics Materials, Markets 2021-2041, is available to order today! This in-depth report explores see-through micro LED, OLED, QD displays, photovoltaic windows, electric darkening, RadarGlass, circuits, metamaterials, heaters and antennas.

IDTechEx investigate the evolution of the hydrogen market and the development of the hydrogen economies of the major countries around the world in their new report "The Hydrogen Economy, Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Production Methods".

The new IDTechEx report, "Transparent Electronics Materials, Applications, Markets 2021-2041" describes a market that will be well above $20 billion in 2041 with a substantial possible upside.

According to research by leading business intelligence firm IDTechEx, published as "3D Printed Materials Market 2020-2030 - COVID Edition", the market for 3D printing materials has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but plenty of market drivers point to a strong future.

IDTechEx have released their latest report on haptics, projecting that the industry will grow from $3.6bn in 2020 to nearly $5bn per year by 2025.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted the 3D printing sector and its end users (such as printing bureaus), new directions of travel have nonetheless emerged. Some opportunities have even been directly prompted by the pandemic.

Smart cities are now much more ambitious. That means new materials are their biggest enabler, with information and computer technology dropping to an important support role.

Despite the promise of and the commercial interest in FHE, some technological challenges remain. One of the most important is developing the ability to robustly attach mounted components to flexible substrates, given the substantial difference in mechanical and thermal properties.