The first day of Semicon Europa 2014 saw the Silicon Innovation Forum host more than 25 start-up companies. The companies presented new technologies that they think) will solve pending technological problems such as increasing battery power density and improving solar cell efficiency.
One start-up, Aryballe, based in France, is using a combination of nanotechnology, biotechnology, IT, and cognitive sciences (NBIC) to developing innovative technologies including databases, software and specific devices for the identification, measurement and representation of smells and tastes. The company's main product, NeOse (e-nose, in English), to be launched in 2016, may be the first universal odor detector on the market.
Applications and markets that could take advantage of this technology are gas sensors and the emerging market for anosmia (loss of the sense of smell) medical assistance. Other markets are odor sensors for the home, medical diagnostics, consumer electronics and others. According to projections by Aryballe, the overall market for these types of devices will exceed $10B by 2020.
The company plans to introduce four main products: OdoraMap, a smartphone application that can be construed as a “GPS” for the geo-localization of smells; MonOlfact, a set of a personal portable objects designed to change color in the presence of specific odors; NeOse, a personal device designed to connect to smartphones and databases with the purpose of recognizing a wide spectrum of different odors; and NeOsmia, a device specifically designed for anosmia patients.
The technology for the NeOse product developed by Aryballe is based on the SPRi (Surface Plasmon Resonance imaging) technology developed at the CEA-Leti research center in Grenoble, France. SPRi is a technology designed to detect molecule-molecule interaction and to generate unique light diffraction patterns for each analyzed odor.
Fraunhofer Mikroelektronik, the giant German company, introduced several innovations and new devices during Semicon Europa 2014 in Grenoble, France. Here are short news related to three of these innovations presented to an enthusiastic audience yesterday, October 8, 2014.
