Printed electronics is associated with some orders, investments and acquisitions that are one hundred times as big as the largest two years ago. Now we can laminate solar power onto a large dirigible, for example, and Northrop Grumman in the USA has just landed an order for $517 million to make one for surveillance from the upper atmosphere that is based on flexible photovoltaics. Delivery will be in 2012. Boeing in the USA has won $89 million in funding from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA for the second phase of the Vulture long-endurance unmanned aerial system UAS program made possible by flexible photovoltaics.
After more than ten years Plastic Logic has yet to launch a product but it has just gained commitment of what it describes as nearly "one billion dollars in total". Plastic Logic started as an IP company in printed transistors then changed strategy to try to launch a thin, flexible printed e-reader. However, technical problems and the sweeping success of the Amazon KindleTM and Apple I-PadTM put that on hold. However, the enabling technology of Plastic Logic remains very exciting for a host of potential uses.
Read full article @ http://www.evhub.biz/idtechex/printed-electronics-enters-fast-growth-phase
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