| Project Detail |
Mini monitors making big news in healthcare
Healthcare is undergoing a major digital transformation and paving the way for a new era of personalised health approaches thanks to AI-based diagnostic tools and remote monitoring and assistive devices. Acoustic transducers like microphones and ultrasound sensors are key technologies for medical and industrial devices such as next-generation hearing aids and probes, first-of-a-kind ultrasound patches and IoT grid monitoring solutions. This means that miniaturised low-power sensors are in high demand. In this context, the EU-funded Listen2Future project will address the need for low power consumption, small-size and low-cost applications. Specifically, it will design piezoelectric materials and technologies that can outperform the existing ones. In this way, it will reinforce the EU’s strategic autonomy in electronic components and systems.
Listen2Future will boost the potential of piezoelectric acoustic transducers to provide new solutions in the key application areas of Health & Wellbeing and Digital Industry & Energy. Acoustic transducer solutions and the key underlying technologies are addressing many of the challenges in emerging applications towards a more digitalized society.
Indeed, growing demand for MEMS-based acoustic transducers (microphones, ultrasonic transducers) in medical and industrial devices are creating a new high demand for miniaturized low power sensors. In combination with an intelligent signal processing system, algorithms and customized packaging, these technologies will be the key to achieve performant, low power consuming, miniaturized and cost-saving systems.
The demonstrators will address 14 use-cases in LISTEN2FUTURE with their benchmark in low power consumption, small size and low cost to open the door for disruptive acoustic applications. Major impact on quality of live for humans as well as on industrial and medical appliances can be expected. The European Position in Acoustic Sensors will be therefore strengthened by new piezoelectric materials and technologies with the capability to outperform the existing ones that are based on capacitive MEMS technologies. This will contribute to reinforcing the Unions strategic autonomy in electronic components and systems to support future needs of vertical industries and the economy at large. The growth of the microphone market (8 -> 14bio. units in 5 years) and the growth of the Ultrasound sensing modules market (500mio -> 800mio in 3 years) should be predominantly covered with acoustic sensors made in Europe.
The double transition of European Union toward digital and greener society there poses a high demand for reliable and secure data. Our integral acoustic sensor solutions are listening to these needs and mapping the acoustic senses and perceptions into Society 5.0. |
