Norway-based developer of non-volatile memory products, Thin Film Electronics has announced that it has entered into an agreement with PST sensors.
As per the terms of the agreement, the two companies will jointly develop Memory Everywhere, a printed temperature sensor system capable ofmonitoring the temperatures of perishable goods such as pharmaceuticals and food.
The new printed temperature system, manufactured at a fraction of the costs incurred for producing standard silicon microelectronics, will monitor each perishable item individually to ensure that they are being kept at the optimal temperature. The first prototype of the temperature monitor tag is likely to be released later this year.
PST Sensors, a manufacturer of ambient processed printed silicon electronics, has recently demonstrated prototypes of thermal imaging arrays and temperature sensors based on printed silicon NTC thermistor, which can be fully integrated with the organic circuits and memory devices developed by Thinfilm.
The Chief Executive Officer of Thinfilm, Davor Sutija states that the combination of the PST temperature sensor with the Thinfilm printed addressable memory creates an inexpensive temperature sensing technology that can aid healthcare professionals in accessing the storage details of the drug. Likewise, perishable food chain outlets can ascertain if eggs or meat has been refrigerated and stored in the right temperatures to ensure freshness of the food item.
The Chief Technology Officer of Thinfilm, Christer Karlsson explained that PST sensors has dedicated a lot of time in the development of printed silicon technology. The technology can also be manufactured easily at a low cost.
The food temperature monitoring technology, when implemented, can save 1.27 billion tons of food wastage, as estimated by a 2008 WRAP study. The study reports that 20% of the food waste is due to confusion in date labeling and insufficient information on the freshness of the food.
Source: http://thinfilm.no/