NOK in project to develop 'ultra-thin' wearable sensors

Tokyo – Japanese enterprises NOK and Salmontech have launched a project to jointly develop wearable ultrasonic sensors, the partners have announced.

The aim is to develop and commercialise an “ultra-thin, lightweight, and highly flexible” wearable 'echo' sensor for the medical, healthcare and sports uses by 2026.

NOK will contribute material and manufacturing technologies, including bio-friendly conductive rubber, flexible printed circuit boards, as well as “precise assembly processing [technology].”

Salmontech will apply its “sol-gel composite piezoelectric manufacturing technology and ultrasonic sensing technology to create an 'echo' sensor with high flexibility and durability.”

The end-product, said NOK 14 March, will be a “high-performance sensor that is thin, light, flexible, and comfortable to wear on the human body.”

The sensor will address the challenges of conventional devices due to size and shape restrictions, and being difficult to use for long periods of time.