Holst Centre Executive report 2018/2019

Executive report

2018/2019

Creating a sustainable future

EXECUTIVE REPORT HOLST CENTRE

Holst Centre

EXECUTIVE REPORT HOLST CENTRE 3

Editorial Ton van Mol & John Baekelmans 4

Health 6

Interview Chris van Hoof 16

Interview Kathleen Philips 17

Building 18

Mobility 22

Interview Jeroen van den Brand 28

Interview Eric Meulenkamp 29

Enabling technologies 30

Facts & Figures 40

Industrial partners 42

Index Executive Report

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The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) define a vision for global development. That vision focuses on the wellbeing of individuals, major societal challenges and protecting our environment.

Creating asustainable future

It’s a vision that Holst Centre shares. Put simply, we want to create innovations that improve peoples’ lives – now and in the future. Our innovation is centered on applications and enabling technologies for SDG-related areas such as healthcare, smart mobility, human-friendly buildings and green energy. In the last year, we have achieved key breakthroughs in areas ranging from high-capacity batteries for electric vehicles that can charge in 5 minutes to sensors for monitoring the heartbeat of unborn babies. Meanwhile, our highly transparent fingerprint sensor was named best i-Zone prototype at the Society for Information Display (SID) Week.

The societal challenges raised in the SDGs can’t be tackled by one organization alone. Holst Centre brings together partners from industry and academia. We are proud that many of these partners, from local SMEs to global multinationals, have been working with us for over five years. We continue to build relationships with organizations in the Eindhoven region and around the world.

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We want to create innovations that improve people’s lives.Now and in the future.


Many of our innovations are now being commercialized by our various industrial partners. Others are finding their way to market through spinouts. Drawing on over 10 years of R&D, SALDtech was spun out in 2018 to integrate our novel spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (sALD) technology into volume manufacturing, enabling flexible, foldable and rollable displays for mobile phones, tablets, TVs and more. Previous spinouts like LifeSense and Onera also won additional funding this year.

Beyond wearablesIn our fourteen years, we have contributed greatly to the advance of wearables and on-body sensing, as showcased by developments such as our health patch. In the coming years, we expect to see sensors and electronics moving away from the body and into our surroundings. These technologies can be integrated invisibly in interior spaces to provide

non-obtrusive health checks, as part of our daily routines. No need any more for body-worn devices. We are developing off-body, remote sensing of vital signs for healthcare, driver monitoring and human-friendly buildings using technologies such as radar, smart objects and smart materials. Other example of our ‘beyond wearables’ roadmap, is the health tracking toilet using Holst Centre ions sensors to measure health parameters.

By considering the SDGs, we aim to develop technologies and solutions that make real contributions to a sustainably better future. Whether that’s improved health or cleaner air and water through our sensors, or reduced CO2 emissions due to advances in battery technology, we continue to innovate to create a better world.

Closer to marketImproving lives has been a constant throughout Holst Centre’s history.However, the technologies we specialize in have matured greatly. We are increasingly applying our innovation closer to the market: moving beyond devices to create complete solutions that directly address society’s challenges. For example, our internet of water system - combining Holst Centre-developed sensors, connectivity, data science and insight-generating models - is being deployed to monitor water quality and scarcity across the Flanders region.

Editorial

Ton van Mol & John Baekelmans

Managing Directors Holst Centre

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Health

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Health

Instead of just managing disease, the insight gathered could allow us to manage our health. By helping us spot early warning signs and giving feedback that encourages healthy behaviors and lifestyle choices, it could improve quality of life while controlling healthcare spending. And the same technologies can be applied to enhance many other areas of our daily lives.

The ability to unobtrusively monitor our bodies and deliver medical-grade data in any setting will revolutionize healthcare.

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Until now, vital signs have been

gathered using either bulky lab

equipment or simple wearables that

capture only a limited set of signals.

Our technology can help customers

gather clinical knowledge easily and

speed up medical device development.

Our investigational device can measure

a multitude of physiological signals

anywhere from the body, for multiple

days continuously, and in a small form

factor. The only device of its kind, it will

help in rapid assessment of concept

ideas and in creating new clinical

knowledge.

Potentially, the device will be used

for clinical research together with

our customers, and will lead to novel

diagnostic, therapeutic and even pre- or

post-surgical monitoring tools. Further

development of the medical device is

supported by our health patch platform.

The platform combines innovative

integration technology with a cost

effective and low-power system-on-chip,

yielding a single-use patch that measures

more vital signs for a longer time.

Health

• ECG, PPG and bio-impedance measurements

• Configurable data acquisition and

preprocessing on-chip

• Wireless communication (Bluetooth Low

Energy enabled)

• Printed electronics on flexible and

stretchable TPU substrate

• Hybrid integration of active components

(directly on substrate)

• Dry electrodes and skin friendly fabrics and

adhesives

• Android app for device control and RT data

visualization

Single-use wearable health monitoring patch puts patientsin the center

Wearable health monitoring patch

HEALTH8


• Printed piezoelectrics

• Hybrid integration

• TFT

• Acoustics

Large area ultrasoundimaging

Ageing society and rising costs in healthcare present an increasing need for early

diagnosis and prevention. Future healthcare will rely on monitoring at home and non-

invasive imaging in the GP’s office. For this purpose, ultrasound is the technology

of choice. Not only is ultrasound safe, it enables dynamic imaging as well. However,

today’s ultrasound systems are rigid, bulky and limited in size due to a costly

assembly process.

This is soon to change, as the ultrasound technology of the future is being developed

at Holst Centre. To help us achieve this, we leveraged our know-how in large-area

thin-film technology, originally developed for the display industry. The technology’s

key attributes of mechanical flexibility and cost-effective scaling to large area are

perfect for enabling ultrasound systems. We are using this experience to enable

wearable and comfortable patches for ultrasound monitoring at home and anywhere.

Ultrasound monitoring anywhere

• Smart skateboard

• Smart brace

• General activities motion

Integration of technologyinto daily sports programs

An EU-funded Interreg project.

Nano4Sports aims to stimulate

innovation in sports, rehabilitation

and health domains through the

development of novel solutions.

Nanotechnology will play a crucial role

here. Nano4Sports bridges the gap

between sports, coaches and technical

innovation. Using a living lab approach,

we will create new technologies which

innovate in areas such as sensors,

communication and data analytics,

as well as their implementation. Imec

collaborates with different partners,

including the neighborhood’s Sports

Field Labs, to help integrate technology

into the daily sports programs.

Examples of this are sensorizing

runners to prevent injuries, measuring

ankle injuries during rehabilitation with

a smart brace, and providing a smart

skateboard to help develop skating

tricks for the Olympics.

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• NIR LEDs

• BLE

• Accelerometer

• Rechargeable battery

• Flexible circuitry

• HRV sensor

• Temperature sensor

Calm your brains with the Niraxx headband

What if you could recharge your mind? The Niraxx Smart Wearable Headband

activates the brain’s natural calming and regenerative processes. The headband

delivers unique wavelengths of near-infrared light based on personalized treatment

programs, optimal for each person’s brain.

The product is based on research at Massachusetts General Hospital. Transcranial

infrared light therapy is believed to decrease inflammation and oxidative stress in

the brain as well as increase the formation of neurons. The headband integrates

6 near-infrared light LED modules that can operate independently and at different

wavelengths, a temperature sensor and HRV sensor, and is made of a soft

moisture-wicking fabric.

Niraxx headband

• Haptic feedback

• Printed sensors

Mysa sweaterhelps youcontrol yourstress level

When we’re busy we don’t always take

the time to create a moment of peace

and body-awareness. On days like this

our stress levels can rise and, when we

are not in tune with our body, we risk

overburdening ourselves mentally and

physically. Breathing is one of the most

powerful ways to boost relaxation.

Deep breathing not only fuels vital body

functions, it also calms the mind. Mysa

is a sweater that reminds its wearer

to take necessary breaks throughout

the day that are timed depending

on personal preferences and needs.

During these short breaks, Mysa guides

its wearer through a deep breathing

exercise. The sweater first measures the

breathing rate of the wearer. After that,

a vibration pattern running along the

back body provides haptic feedback for

the wearer so that the breathing can be

intuitively attuned to it.

HEALTH


Smart fashion

When integrating electronics into

textiles a sustainable solution is

required for the product’s end of life.

Our project aimed to make such a

solution possible, and so we developed

a closed loop system. Garments

augmented with printed electronics can

be leased and when the product comes

to its end of life, de-lamination of the

electronics ensures their recyclability.

This new collection, consisting of fitted

T-shirt, loose shirt, sports bra, and a

body, targets fashionable women with

• Printed ECG sensors

• BLE

Smart fashion for athleisure

an active lifestyle. The smart garments

continuously measure key vital signals

based on Holst Centre’s advanced

printed sensor technologies on flexible

substrates for textile integration. The

laminated sensors are wearable,

comfortable, robust, invisible during

use, washable up to 25 cycles, and

designed for unobtrusive integration in

conventional fashion production. The

collection embraces the fluid relation

between work and leisure and is

designed to be worn both during work

and after.

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Many clinical applications need easy

and quick brain monitoring solutions

which provide high signal quality and

facilitate reliable clinical decision

making. Currently, assessing brain

status is a cumbersome procedure

requiring time and expert staff.

Our EEG headset solution consists of

an easy-to-use, wearable and wireless

headset prototype for data acquisition

and analysis. It uses comfortable

polymer-based electrodes that do

not require conductive gel or skin

preparation, and can continuously

monitor 8-channel EEG for up to 8

hours. Together with electrode-tissue

impedance (ETI) at each electrode, and

• Functional near-infrared

spectroscopy (fNIRS)

• (Dry) polymer electrodes

• Algorithms

• Signal quality indication

• Motion artifact handling

• Machine learning

• Artificial intelligence

Brain monitoring for clinical applications

headset acceleration and orientation

monitoring, it can assess EEG signal

quality, reduce various artifacts and

identify relevant EEG traces, such as

epileptic discharges.

The availability of easy-to-use EEG

headsets or headsets combining

electrical and optical (fNIRS) sensing

will allow straightforward brain

assessment in clinical routine and

during critical situations. They will

reduce time and effort, subsequently

lowering the cost of care.

From idea to medical device

HEALTH


• EEG

• EOG

• Polymer electrodes

• Algorithms

• Signal quality indication

• Motion artifact handling

• Machine learning

• Artificial intelligence

Virtual Reality (VR) is gaining popularity in treating anxiety and ADHD. It allows

physicians to offer treatment based on the patient’s physical and emotional

responses experienced in a VR environment. Monitoring brain response in addition to

physical and mental responses is the next step to personalized cognitive VR therapy.

Our electroencephalography (EEG) headset combines user comfort with cutting-

edge low-power technology. Active EEG dry electrodes from Datwyler and advanced

software accurately monitor in real time frontal EEG signals related to emotional

state. To integrate the EEG device with VR, we are teaching the headset to optimize

data and signal quality. This is achieved by applying machine learning to filter signal

quality and motion artifact such as chewing or body movements.Then an algorithm

interprets the data and corrects when necessary. Eye tracking systems and facial

expression classifiers have also been developed so therapists can take

full advantage VR technology.

Smart glasses

Our connected health solutions provide

services to support partners on their

way from concept to the medical device

market. Capabilities include generating

feasibility studies and early proof of

concepts. Besides state-of-the-art

biomedical labs for data acquisition, a

flexible wearable sensor platform offers

partners a fast way to perform data

collections tailored to their needs.

It features our MUSEIC multimodal

biomedical signal acquisition single-

chip solution. Embodied in our

investigational device, it collects ECG,

PPG, bio-impedance, motion, GSR,

• Wearables

• Investigational device sensors

• Medical device development

• Biomedical algorithm development

• Data science

• Clinical trial support

• Biomedical validation

Clinical studies: from idea to medical device

Investigational tools for neurodegenerative disease tracking

audio, and temperature. It also has

compute functions such as HR, HRV,

SPO2, respiration rate and steps.

Based on the outcome of clinical

data and the developed algorithms,

custom devices can be derived from

the investigational device to provide

market-ready medical devices. We

can also provide further support on

technology validation in clinical trials

for lifestyle, medical or pharmaceutical

applications.

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• Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)

• Accelerometer

LifeSense: Carin pelvic floor muscle trainer

Carin provides a non-invasive solution

to the largest unspoken women’s health

secret today, urinary incontinence.

Combining wearable IoT device, smart,

absorbing underwear and mobile

app, Carin has helped cure 80% of

customers within 6-8 weeks. Urine loss

is measured by a silver-plated sensor

thread integrated in the underwear.

Essentially, the sensor measures the

absorbing layer’s resistance, which

is relative to the amount of urine in

the underwear. Information from the

sensor is collected by the wearable

which is snapped into the underwear

using magnetic snaps. This data is then

wirelessly transmitted to a mobile phone

through a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)

protocol. The wearable sensor also

measures the user’s activity level using

an accelerometer.

The information is used to provide

wearers with a tailored training program

to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles,

helping eliminate urine leaks.

Carin pelvic floor muscle trainer

HEALTH

LifeSense Group was founded in 2015

as a spin-off of Holst Center.


• Customized data platform

• Wearables

• Machine learning models

iChange:behavioral multi-sensing platform for mental health evolution

Stress can have a huge impact on daily life, work performance, and management

and prevention of disease. At the same time mental health stress is hard to measure.

Within the imec.iChange program, we have developed a behavioral multi-sensing

platform that provides insights into stress, physiological signals, behaviors and

environmental factors over time.

The platform comprises a wrist-band device – for heart rate, skin conductance,

temperature and activity recordings – and a cloud infrastructure for data which are

processed using machine learning models and visualized on a dashboard. Detected

stress scores are automatically inserted per hour in an outlook calendar to provide

awareness of high stress moments over the day. The platform is currently used

in projects like stop-smoking support, migraine management and assessment of

cognitive load in the workplace. It enables development of next generation digital

therapeutics and coaching tools for disease prevention and management.

iChange - behavioral multisensing platform

• Radar

• Vital signs monitoring

• Signal processing algorithms

ULP vitalsigns radar

Current vital signs sensors consume a

considerable amount of power, limiting

the range of possible applications.

Our latest radar solution keeps power

consumption to below 1 mW, which is

100 times lower than other solutions,

enabling low-cost battery-powered

applications for hospitals, in the office,

or at home. The radar sensor can

measure vital signs such as respiration

and heartbeat remotely (from up to 5

meters or more distance), from one

or multiple subjects. Custom signal

processing algorithms enable extraction

of the vital signs under real world

conditions.

Compliant with worldwide spectral

regulations, the radar can also be used

for presence detection, people tracking

or activity classification. The demo

shows, in real time, the respiration and

heartbeat of a human subject. This

technology is applicable in the multiple

domains.

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Make health management an unobtrusive part of our daily lives.

Vice President R&D

Holst Centre wants to reinvent healthcare, to make health management an unobtrusive part of our daily lives. The key to that is high-quality data. So, a main focus for us is innovative patient monitoring solutions that are compatible with everyday life.

Sensors worn on the body make hospital-standard monitoring possible anywhere. For example, our latest health patch offers blood oxygen measurements alongside heart and respiration monitoring. It’s also low-cost, environmentally friendly and disposable. Beyond wearables, implanted or ingested sensors can deliver previously unavailable data, while non-contact heartrate and respiration monitoring is also nowa reality.

But what data should we collect and how do we interpret it? We work closely with clinicians to understand what information they need for different use cases. This ensures we develop the right sensors and collect the tight data on which to base analytic solutions. This sensor-to-algorithm approach was highlighted in the SWEET project to monitor everyday stress, which reported results in Nature Digital Medicine.

Looking ahead, such complete solutions that combine sensors, data management and smart algorithmsto provide insights and recommended actions will address the increase of chronic disease and help us all live healthier lives.

Holst Centre will continue to work with local partners to bring together the right skills, knowledge and expertise to create the technologies and software needed to improve everyone’s quality of life.

High-quality medical data anywhere to manage our health.

Chrisvan Hoof


We spend as much as 90% of our time indoors. Yet most work and public buildings today are designed with the focus on energy efficiency rather than people who will use them. At Holst Centre, we believe technology can make buildings more comfortable, healthier and more human friendly while simultaneously optimizing our use of resources and space.

We have created small yet accurate air monitoring systems that use little power and can be calibrated over the air. Adding in data science algorithms allows these systems to predict

indoor air quality to preventively;or provide real insights into effective building management.

Our latest sensor devices are designed to detect volatile chemicals to provide early warning of fire before smoke appears. Our sub-mW radar can run on a battery for 10 years. It offers accurate, real-time occupancy counts and will be enhanced to monitor what activities take place in a room. This will allow building managers to tailor environmental conditions, optimize the use of space and check everyone is accounted for in case of fire.

These breakthroughs provide more and better data on what happens within buildings. The next step is to deploy these novel technologies in order to collect datasets in real-life and over a longer period. This opens up a set of new data science challenges like the cleaning and labelling of data or dealing with sparse datasets. In its turn, the data from field evaluation allows us to improve our sensor devices further.

New sensors and data for sustainable, human-friendly buildings.

Kathleen Philips Technology can make buildings

more comfortable, healthier and more human friendly.

Program Director Internet of Things

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Building

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Building

Yet, very few public buildings today are designed to help people get the most out of them. Holst Centre is exploring new ways of applying sensors, data science and connectivity to create buildings that maximize the vitality, health and enjoyment of the people that use them.

As the world becomes more urbanized, people are spending more of their lives indoors.

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For our health, it’s important to monitor

the quality of the air that we breathe.

Air quality inside buildings can be

monitored with low cost, dedicated

sensors available in the market.

We have developed novel algorithms

and data analysis techniques to improve

the accuracy of these affordable

sensors. The performance of our sensor

network technologies has been tested

through actual installations in buildings.

The data processing pipeline also

includes the analysis of sensor

sensitivity, with corrections applied

to parameters such as temperature

and humidity. Latest results include

algorithms that predict the future CO2

concentration in rooms.

Affordable sensors will enable large

scale deployment of measurements in

any room and any environment. These

large-scale deployments of indoor air

quality monitoring systems provide

insights for the public and building

users and owners, and ultimately allow

better and healthier living and working

environments.

Building

• Automatic Cloud calibration algorithm

for CO2 sensors in smart building.

• Multi-sensor Indoor Air Quality

Platform

• Prediction Algorithm of Indoor

Comfort Level

Predictive air quality control for healthy spaces

Predictive air quality control

BUILDING20


• Ultra-low-power transceiver

• Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0

• Phase-tracking receiver

• All-digital PLL

Ultra-low-power Bluetooth for battery-less sensor nodes

The record-low-power transceiver of this demo is the next step towards achieving battery-less wireless nodes. Its innovative phase-tracking receiver architecture and all-digital PLL result in a small area, low power design. A highly integrated, small form factor PCB contains the next generation wireless tags or, for example, disposable wireless sensor nodes. The environment’s temperature is measured by an on-board sensor that can detect any sudden changes.

An embedded acceleration sensor can also act as an inclinometer. The wireless transceiver sends continuous information to a device, and during the demo the wireless tag and phone are connected via Bluetooth. Visitors can see the real-time measured values presented physically on the phone’s display. It can also be seen that the system is powered not by a battery but with a solar cell.

Ultra-low-power Bluetooth

• Ultra-low power radar sensor (<1mW)

• Low-complexity radar digital processing

• Robust people counting algorithm

Sensing and counting people with radar

This is a real-time people sensing

and counting application using our 8

GHz UWB-IoT radar sensor platform.

Thanks to the ultra-low power design,

the radar sensor can be fully battery

operated for indoor usage. Indoor use

is also supported by its ultra-wideband

(UWB) frequency range operation,

and ETSI and FCC compliance. The

averaged DC power amounts to only

680 µW, making it possible to build a

fully-battery-operated radar system for

many IoT applications. In this demo, the

radar platform is set up to illuminate a

certain area in the exhibition venue, so

that visitors passing-by are detected

and counted. By extracting motions

in certain distance and moving speed

ranges, people moving towards and

leaving the radar are sensed and

counted. The results are displayed on

an interactive graphic user interface.

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Mobility

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Mobility

Environmental concerns demand further decreases in CO2 emissions through weight reduction and power efficiency. Cars, people and information are becoming more and more interconnected. Meanwhile, ownership models are expected to change with more shared vehicles, impacting the required features of the cars manufactured.

Holst Centre innovation supports the automotive industry in exploring the technological and functional possibilities for this exciting future. We are active in a wide range of areas from driver monitoring and smart interactive surfaces for interiors to batteries and battery management solutions.

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The automotive world is changing fast. Electric vehicles are increasingly replacing internal combustion engines, autonomous cars are on the horizon.

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Vehicle manufacturers need to ensure drivers receive essential information without unnecessarily distracting them from the road ahead. Flexible OLED technology makes this possible through a revolutionary automotive heads-up display (HUD).

Built on a thin plastic substrate, this transparent display can be integrated into the vehicle’s windshield to add driver-friendly functionality without adding weight. Moreover, it can be fully customized during manufacture with segments of any shape and color. The demonstrator features a transparent, multi-color segmented

display based on OLEDs – a novel light source that emits over an entire surface, allowing designers to create completely new lighting and display effects. The HUD demonstrator was produced on the Lyteus pilot line, a pan-European initiative funded via the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program.

The OLED-on-plastic approach enables transparent and reflective displays that are extremely light and thin, and provides complete design freedom.

Mobility

• Flexible OLEDs in any color

• Full design freedom

• Highly bendable, light weight

and ultra-thin

• Transparent or reflective

In-car HUD shows power of flexible, transparent OLED lighting

In-car HUD

MOBILITY24


• 3D thin-film solid-state battery

• CNT

• Spatial atomic layer deposition

Idealbattery

For battery technologies to realize their full potential in transport and storage applications significant improvements are needed. To this end we are developing solid-state batteries, based on lithium metal. Lithium metal has many benefits. But it also brings some challenges including charge rate due to the electrolyte’s low conductivity and cycle life due to rather rapid deterioration. We tackle these issues through a three-dimensional electrode morphology and atomic-scale engineering of the interfacial properties. Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (sALD), in which we are world leaders, is an essential thin-film technology in our work. It also has significant potential for improving other battery materials and concepts, and we are exploring these possibilities with industrial partners in parallel to developing 3D batteries. sALD equipment has been commercialized by several companies, often in collaboration with us, and its application in batteries thus offers an exciting new market.

Ideal battery

• Printed electronics

• Sensor arrays

• Stretchable electronics

Smart carseat

Monitoring the vital signs of drivers and passengers can significantly reduce the amount of accidents due to fatigue. Arrays of sensors (e.g. pressure, piezo) integrated into the car seat offer part of the solution.

Using flexible and stretchable printed electronics, these arrays can be seamlessly integrated into the materials that are in direct contact with the driver. As an example of this, we have integrated large-area pressure sensor mats into our Trabant demonstrator car to monitor occupancy. Each sensor mat consists

of two highly conformable polymer films. A metal layer, spacer and adhesive are printed on one foil, and force-sensitive sensors on the other. The mat has been proven to work at up to 5% extension, and the Holst-developed read-out can measure 960 sensors in 10 ms.

We plan to combine this pressure sensor with printed piezo sensors to derive heart and breathing rate, indicators of sleepiness and stress.

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• Printed electronics

• Sensors and actuators

• Confirmable, thin and lightweight

electronic films

Smart interactive surfaces

Car interior design is becoming more

and more ‘clean’. The many buttons

and switches that once symbolized

luxury equipment are now seen

as old-fashioned, too distracting

and unacceptable from a design

perspective.

On the other hand, an increasing

need for connectivity and information

is leading to more touchscreens,

heads-up displays and multifunctional

switches in the car. In the autonomous

driving era, in-car entertainment and

interaction will become even more

important.

Holst Centre has anticipated this by

developing thin and conformable

smart interactive films consisting of

sensors (e.g. touch, pressure) and

actuators (e.g. illumination, haptics)

that can be seamlessly integrated into

the car interior. These films can be

hidden behind conventional car interior

materials (e.g. leather, wood), only being

illuminated when required.

Formable smart surfaces

MOBILITY


• 3D printed electronics

• Sensors

3D printed automotivesensors

Recent developments in safety- and

comfort-enhancing systems are driving

the need more integrated sensor

systems. Holst Centre has recently

started exploring the possibility of

building such sensors using 3D printed

electronics. By combining our own

expertise in printed electronics with

our 3D printing capabilities, we are

exploring a completely new, additive

way of manufacturing electronics.

As a first example, we have produced a

fully integrated automotive acceleration

sensor.

Using 3D printed electronics allows

optimal use of space and ensures a

rugged, waterproof system that can

withstand the harsh environment inside

vehicles. It also enables cost-effective

manufacturing with a short time to

market.

• Solution-processed IGZO TFTs

• Solution-processed organic

photodiodes

• Thin-film barrier layer

• Robust identification software

Flexible fingerprint sensors to unlock your car

Fingerprint authentication has emerged as a very convenient method of security

for many devices. For under-display fingerprint authentication in next-generation

smartphones, we present large-area photodetector arrays combined with a thin-

film optical collimator. Based on an oxide TFT backplane with a printed organic

photodiode frontplane, the fabrication is compatible with flat panel display

processes.

The photoactive layer is 300 nm thick and slot-die coated. The imagers are finished

with a common transparent top electrode and a transparent low-temperature

thin film encapsulation stack. In combination with an in-house developed optical

collimator, fingerprints can be captured through the commercial AMOLED display,

while maintaining resolution.

Flexible fingerprint sensors

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Cars have been getting smarter for years. One day, they will drive themselves, but until then the driver needs to remain alert and in control. The intelligent car can help.

At Holst Centre, we are working on solutions for monitoring driver alertness and stress levels. We have shown that sensors embedded in car seats and in-vehicle radar can both be used to measure driver’s vital signs remotely and unobtrusively, using algorithms and data science to convert that into insight into the driver’s mental, physical and emotional state.

Elsewhere, our embedded sensors can also monitor battery health and performance to enable the transition to greener, electric vehicles.

As we move from driving cars to cars driving us, car interiors will also change. They will become more like a living room or office. Holst Centre makes this possible by integrating displays, lighting and touch- and gesture-based controls into surfaces such as the central console and windows.

Looking ahead, we see more electronics being embedded on the

outside of cars such as lighting and radar for collision detection and car2car communication. This needs to be done smartly to maximize the functionality and its usability without harming the performance and efficiency of the vehicle itself. Our experience in smart car interiors will help.

The coming of autonomy will bring big changes for carmakers and users. The exact path of this evolution may not yet be clear, but Holst Centre and its ecosystem offers a unique resource and testbed for exploring all the options.

Keeping the world moving, safely, securely and sustainably.

Program Director Hybrid Printed ElectronicsJeroenvan den Brand

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Drivers need to remain alert and in control.The intelligent car can help.


They could meet all the storage requirements for balancing renewable energy supply and demand on timescales up to one day; extend the range and performance of electric vehicles; and enable new generations of multi-functional wearables and implantable medical devices.

Holst Centre is pioneering a novel 3D thin-film solid-state architecture that promises a unique combination of safety, fast charging times, high charge density and longer lifetimes. In the last year, we have made significant steps forward, using up-scalable technologies, towards bringing this technology to market. For the first time, we have created 3D solid-state electrolyte layer using spatial atomic layer deposition (sALD).

The atomic-scale control allows us to create extremely high aspect ratio structures (100:1) that maximize internal surface area, while ensuring excellent layer thickness and quality homogeneity.

The approach has been used to create a fully functional battery with a 2D electrolyte as a system-level proof of concept. Having proven the technology works, the next step is, of course, to integrate it into a complete 3D stack. Further ahead, we will look to optimize the basic technology towards the specific requirements of key applications such as electric vehicles, grid storage, andwearable/implantable health and wellbeing devices.

In parallel, we are working with partners to develop sensing and software solutions to improve the control and operation of today’s and tomorrow’s generations of batteries. We are also exploring the potential of sALD to enhance existing battery types and photovoltaic cells.

Improved batteries are keyto a greener, healthier future.

Program Director Thin Film Electronics

EricMeulenkamp

Improved batteries could meet national storage requirements for balancing renewable energy supply and demand.

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Enablingtechnologies

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Enabling technologies

Alongside application-specific innovations, we act as a nexus for developing key enabling technologies that may soon be applied across application domains.

Holst Centre’s prime purpose is to accelerate the transition of promising technologies into industry.

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Enabling seamless car access, this

is the first solution for secure and

accurate passive keyless entry using

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The

demonstrator builds on our secure and

very high accuracy ranging algorithms

implemented on BLE.

Measuring the actual distance between

the smart lock and the car owner’s

mobile authentication device, it is

over 10 times more accurate than

today’s approaches – even in harsh

environments with a lot of reflections

such as indoor parking garages.

And by using standard BLE

smartphones, car sharing schemes

are possible where the digital key

can be commissioned -on the fly- to

authorized users. With this innovation,

we show that BLE is ready to support

a wide range of disruptive services

for proximity applications in a secure

and cost-effective way. These range

from passive keyless access to cars

and smart door-locks, to accurate

indoor navigation and tire pressure

measurement applications.

Enabling technologies

Secure keyless entry with BluetoothLow Energy

Bluetooth Low Energy

2?

ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES32


• Printing technologies

• Hybrid integration

• TFT

• Acoustics

Prevent fallswith shoe inlays

Studies indicate that a change in the natural walking pattern is an indication of

reducing agility and balance eventually leading to elderly falls. Question is: how can

we detect this change? Due to the unique mechanical properties, printed sensors

can achieve this goal in a completely unobtrusive fashion.

Pressure distribution can be measured with the shoe inlay and can be used to detect

the walking pattern changes and thus warn the subject of the increasing risk of

critical injuries due to falling. As such, we believe that printed sensors may impact

many societal needs through health care devices embedded in wearables. In this

version of the shoe inlay only pressure sensors are available, however we at the

Holst Centre have also developed printable temperature sensitive materials, and

temperature sensors will be soon integrated. This might help for instance for early

detection of ulcers and infections in patients with diabetic feet.

Measuring pressure distribution

With further investment from Innovation

Industries, a leading high-tech VC

fund and BOM, Brabant Development

agency, SALDtech, a spin-off of TNO,

continues its work on a new technology

called spatial atomic layer deposition

(sALD).

TNO, through its subsidiary Holst

Centre, has invested over 10 years

in developing sALD to produce large

area ultra-thin layers with world class

performance. The next phase involves

• sALD

• TFTs

• Displays

• Thin-film encapsulation

High-speed deposition process outperforms current techniques for making displays

developing and building equipment

for integration into production lines of

next generation flexible OLED displays

for mobile phones, tablets, TVs and

more. The new investment shows the

potential for the research carried out

at Holst Centre and TNO for the Dutch

high-tech industry. The new technology

speeds up commercialization of sALD

equipment for the display industry and

has the potential to change the way we

work and interact with displays.

34 ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES

• NIR (near infrared) IGZO TFTs


photodiodes


Vein detection using optical imaging

Authentication in smartphones, payment and security systems will be a key asset in

the IoT-powered society of the future. And our large-area optical imager for vein and

liveness detection takes authentication to the next level.

The system allows imaging of the individually unique vein patterns of the hand (palm

and fingers). Based on Holst Centre’s leading IGZO TFT backplane and organic

photodiode frontplane technology, the imager uses next generation organic materials

for near-infrared detection. Its backplane offers high mobility and low leakage current,

while the frontplane’s photoactive layer absorbs up to 1000 nm and has an EQE of

more than 40% at 850 nm. A transparent low-temperature thin film encapsulation

stack developed at Holst Centre prevents imager degradation, and the fabrication is

compatible with flat-panel display (FPD) processes.

• Tags (‘C-tokens) are thin and flexible,

metal-oxide tags, integrated in paper

and plastic products.

Paper with electronic functionality

Prototypes of paper products

augmented with new electronic

functionality, Capacitive ID (CAPID).

It’s the industry’s first demonstration

of CAPID technology which integrates

electronics into paper making it possible

to connect the paper product to the

internet via a touchscreen device.

CAPID is a system through which a tiny,

flexible tag is inserted into an object.

That object - which could be as small as

a card or a label - can then be identified

when placed on a touchscreen.

The potential of the technology is

extraordinary particularly when you

consider that almost every person in

Europe has access to a connected

touch device such as a smartphone or

tablet. CAPID is a Horizon 2020 project.

• Photonic soldering

• Printed electronics – screen printing

Photonicsoldering

Currently, components and LED strips

are attached to polymer and textiles

via conductive adhesives. Soldering

is preferable to adhesives but cannot

be used because it exposes the whole

circuit to high temperatures (> 220o C).

Holst Centre and its partners have

come up with a new process to make

low temperature soldering possible.

Photonic soldering employs high

intensity light flashes to melt the solder

paste, while leaving the substrate foil

unaffected. In contrast with traditional

ref low soldering, photonic soldering

is compatible with low-melting-point

plastic foils. This enables fully soldered

joints to be obtained on circuits on

PEN, PET and TPU substrates. Using

industry-standard SAC solder photonic

soldering is intrinsically fast, a typical

process taking only a few seconds. It’s

a cheaper alternative to any state-of-the

art interconnect technique based on

conductive adhesives. Furthermore, its

compatibility with large area processing

allows simultaneous soldering of

multiple components.


• Laser Induced Forward Transfer

• Fast printing (10 m/s)

• Non-contact printing

• Printing on flexible foil or conformal surfaces

PrintingLED displays

Holst Centre employs diverse printing techniques as tools to create new

functionalities for exciting new applications. We also work on the technologies

of the future, like LIFT (Laser Induced Forward Transfer). This employs a laser to

print electronic functionalities which significantly improves production speed while

keeping costs low.

The beauty of this technique is that we can print basically any material we want,

and stack layers on top of each other. LIFT enables a wide range of possibilities,

from printing multi-layer electronic circuits to 3D printed objects and even

placement of chips using a laser. To demonstrate this, we built a multi-layer LED

display circuit, using conductive, non-conductive and adhesive materials. The

resulting 25 x 30 display shows LIFT’s versatility because of its ability to print a

broad range of materials in a non-contact manner.

LED display

• Event-driven silicon retina

DAVIS240C

• Laptop running a software

Neural Network (Java)

Standard convolutional networks

typically work with images captured

using conventional frame-based

cameras, which are generally power-

hungry at high frame rate. Delivering

low-power consumption and fast

output, the DAVIS is a neuromorphic

camera that outputs temporal contrast

events with a sub-millisecond latency.

Our convolutional neural network (CNN)

recognizes handwritten digits in real-

time. Inspired by how the human eye

works, an event-based camera signals

contrast changes in light luminosity,

asynchronously and at the pixel level,

while the system can work under a

large variety of light conditions.

Trained with the help of the MNIST

dataset, robust accuracy is achieved

by augmenting it with event-based data

from the camera and by systematically

exploring many network architectures.

By writing numerical digits on a board

and showing it to the network, visitors

discover the advantages of combining

event sensors with CNNs and get a

glimpse of how neural networks actually

work.

Reading hand-written digits in real time

36

• R2R assembly

• Stencil printing

• Pick-and-place of components

• NIR curing

• Photonic soldering

R2R assembledLED foil

This LED foil is manufactured on our newly installed roll-to-roll (R2R) assembly

line. The pilot line is custom built around two SMT batch-production sheet to sheet

machines, with vacuum chucks for substrate positioning and fixation. Capable

of seamlessly assembling components onto R2R printed circuits, it showcases

assembly technologies that can be scaled up to an industrial production level. The

line comprises several tools that support fast assembly.

The interconnect material (either conductive adhesive or solder paste) is stencil-

printed directly onto the circuit. Then, a pick-and-place machine assembles

the electronic components and, as a final step, a near-infrared lamp cures the

conductive adhesive. The result is a functional LED foil where LEDs are mounted

on silver tracks on PET. Components can be soldered to the circuit by using an

additional photonic soldering tool which illuminates the foil’s top and bottom

surfaces, melting the solder joints.

LED foil

ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES

• Multi-sensor board for rapid prototyping

with off-the-shelf sensors

• Intuitive visual programming app for

firmware configuration and deployment

• Firmware configuration based on

a selection of drivers, processing

algorithms and network endpoints

• Secure firmware updates via Bluetooth

Low Energy

Intuitive visual programming for wireless sensors

The development and deployment of

wireless sensor nodes is a complex

task requiring low-level programming.

Firmware deployment and maintenance

is also expensive and time-consuming

as they need lots of human intervention.

To address this problem, our solution

combines a flow-based visual

programming environment for the

firmware, a modular sensor platform,

and a secure firmware update

mechanism via Bluetooth Low Energy

(BLE).

Our visual programming tool enables

intuitive generation of a custom

firmware by combining pre-defined

software components for sensing, data

processing and network communication

for the OCTA platform. Adaptable for

different use cases, the OCTA modular

platform for sensor boards come with

different configurations of sensors,

processing algorithms and network

modules. We also developed an over-

the-air firmware update solution. Based

on the widely adopted BLE, deployment

can be made directly from a tablet or

smartphone.


R2R hybrid OLED

One factor in furthering the uptake of

OLEDs is to make them suitable for a

wider range of applications, and one

way to do this is to make them longer.

Working within the framework of Lyteus,

Holst Centre and Fraunhofer FEP made

the world’s longest single-device OLED.

At 15 meters, it shows how continuous

production of OLEDs of any length is

possible. It enables ‘endless OLEDs’

that manufacturers and designers can

easily tailor to their own needs.

It’s the first OLED source produced

• R2R (roll to roll) barriers

• R2R printing and device structuring

• R2R OLED evaporation

R2R hybrid OLED

using a unique R2R process that

combines evaporated OLED stack

performance with solution processing

of auxiliary layers. Holst Centre’s

contribution included a protective

multi-layer barrier film, and processing

the roll using slot-die coating to

structure the anode and deposit the

OLED stack’s first layer. The solution

improves production reliability, reduces

production cost and enables “cut-to-

fit” lighting for applications such as

transportation, architecture and interior

design.

38

• Multi-purpose all in one water

quality sensor

• pH sensitive electrodes

• ion selective sensors

• Conductivity sensors – integrated

in 1 cm2, low cost

Ultra-smart, real-time pH and ion detection in liquids

Water is a precious material and

essential to the food chain, production

processes and hygiene. The usability

of water sources for all applications

depends on concentrations of the

dissolved substances it holds.

A whole range of factors influence the

potential use of water – does it contain

pollution or nutrients for plant growth, is

the salt level is too high or too low, what

quantity of calcium or carbon does it

contain, is it acidic or basic? To help

assess the suitability of a water source,

we have developed a multi-ion sensor

that can give valuable insights into

water quality. Low cost of ownership

and a small form factor make it perfect

for sensor networks, providing valuable

information for everyone who depends

on water. In our demonstration at the

Holst Centre Innovation Day we show

the sensor operating in a champagne

tower where it recognizes a variety of

different water compositions.

Water quality sensor

ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES


• Optically transparent electronics


photodiodes


• Photolithography patterning

Large-area transparentoptical imager

Using flat-panel display compatible processes, we show how highly transparent thin-

film active-matrix imagers can be realized based on a solution-processed organic

photodiodes (OPDs) and an IGZO TFT backplane. By patterning the OPD layer,

we ensure high transparency –enabling the imagers to be integrated as biometric

scanners on top of displays or in smart surfaces.

We demonstrate patterning achieved by OPD-compatible photolithography that

retains frontplane EQE and dark current performance. After patterning, the imagers

are finished with a common transparent top electrode and a transparent low-

temperature thin film encapsulation stack. Measuring 92.4 x 110.9 mm, the resulting

imager has a transparency of around 70% in the visible range.

Large-area transparent optical imager

• Nano-imprinting

• TFTs

Printing small transistors

Currently, many direct-write and

conventional light-exposure based

lithography tools for flexible electronics

are limited to a critical dimension of

around 1 micron. Imprint lithography

is a candidate to break this barrier. In

imprint lithography the resolution is not

limited by the wavelength of light. As an

additional bonus it supports roll-to-roll

processes, so it’s future-compatible.

Multiple layers can be imprinted in one

go, eliminating process steps.

The first steps towards integrating

imprint lithography into our process flow

have been successful, creating the first

multi-level imprinted transistors.

Now we are partnering with

Morphotonics to see if we can upscale

to bigger surfaces. Here we display a

Gen 1 replica of a Gen 1 stamp, which

was made from a replica of a 6-inch

master.

40

Holst Centre in a nutshell

44

To help our local and international industrial partners accelerate their innovation, we bring their researchers together with our own and those of our academic partners to jointly execute shared research programs that address major societal challenges.

Facts & figures

Holst Centre is a world-leading R&D center built on the spirit of open innovation. We use our background in unobtrusive, flexible and wireless systems to create solutions for longer active lives in a healthy environment, sustainable food supplies and energy sufficiency.

The Brainport regioas a supplier worldwide.


Our partner companies particularly value our ability to develop demonstrators and prototypes based on the latest technology developments. This gives them proof of concept that they can elaborate for their own products and production development. Often, we take technologies to the point where they are almost market ready.

By building an ecosystem with companies throughout the value chain, we aim to accelerate time-to-market so that not only new product concepts are ready but also the materials, tools and contract manufacturers are ready to produce it.

A multidisciplinary teamThe Holst Centre organization is built to bridge the gap between industry and academia. The current employee base is a mix of > 200 people coming from industry, academia, research institutes (other than imec and TNO) and the two founding organizations. There is a good mix between senior/experienced team members and more junior talent. 28 nationalities are represented at Holst Centre.

Next to the payroll employees the Holst Centre teams consist of important other groups that add to the open innovation platform:

- Residents from the industry, that actively take part in our research roadmap;

- PhD-students that do their research at Holst Centre, supervised by both the team and their university;

- Master-students that do their thesis-project at Holst Centre.

Accelerating technology, economic growth.

Key figures2018 44.6

180.345561

437810227

Turnover (M Euro)

FTEs

Ongoing funded projects

Industrial partners

Local technology transfers or spin-offs

Patent fillings

Peer reviewed publications

PhDs

MSc

Part-time professors


Industrial partners

Partnerships with industry and academia

Holst Centre is positioned between

fundamental academic research and

commercial product development.

We have strong links with leading

technical Universities in Benelux.

On top of this, we have access to a

vast international network of universities

through bilateral projects and via

European or other funded projects.

As a result, many PhD and master thesis

students are working on the technology

programs at Holst Centre.

Our ecosystem features and

inspiring mix of regional, national and

international industrial companies.

Most of our partners are multinationals,

but around 20% are SMEs located

in the Brainport region. There is no

limit to the number of partners in

our open innovation initiatives and

we are continuously looking for new

companies to join.

47

2018/2019

Holst Centre

Executive report

2018 / 2019

The future belongsto those who create it.

Holst Centre

High Tech Campus 31

5656 AE Eindhoven

The Netherlands

T +31 40 40 20 400

www.holstcentre.com

[email protected]

Holst Centre

Holst Centre Executive report 2018/2019

Documents

Transcript of Holst Centre Executive report 2018/2019