

IDTechEx Research Subscribers
PHA Biopolyesters
PHAs are a class of biopolyesters produced by microbes fed with sugar and fatty feedstocks such as organic waste. Their renewability, as well as their biodegradability, make these materials suitable alternatives to fossil-based plastics, particularly for applications in single-use plastics, yet historically PHA suppliers have struggled with high prices and low production. Recent developments in the industry, as well as the rising cost of brent crude, are making these biopolyesters more competitive against fossil-based plastics.
Food Technology Research
May 9, 2022

New Wearable Technology - For Plants
Plants can't speak up when they are thirsty. And visual signs, such as shriveling or browning leaves, don't start until most of their water is gone. To detect water loss earlier, researchers have created a wearable sensor for plant leaves. The system wirelessly transmits data to a smartphone app, allowing for remote management of drought stress in gardens and crops.
Food Technology Research
May 9, 2022

New Research to Minimise Impact of Wind Energy on Migratory Birds
The development of wind energy is expanding worldwide in an effort to limit greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change. However, locations ideal for harvesting wind energy often overlap with wildlife concentrations, potentially leading to collisions and habitat loss. Researchers have found that data collected by weather radar networks could be used to reduce collisions and minimize habitat-related impacts of wind turbines on nocturnally migrating birds.
Food Technology Research
May 4, 2022

Join the Upcoming Webinar on Service Robots - Who Are the Winners?
Thursday 12 May 2022, presented by IDTechEx Technology Analyst Yulin Wang - Service Robots: Automate People's Lives and Multiple Industries - Who Are the Winners?
IDTechEx Research Subscribers
Plant Polysaccharide Bioplastics
Single-use plastics account for between 30-50% of all plastic applications. Eliminating single-use plastics poses opportunities for alternative materials to supplant their applications. Materials that are biodegradable and home compostable, rather than requiring industrial composting, are particularly valuable. For this reason, there is much interest around plant polysaccharides as a source of biodegradable material. In this premium article, IDTechEx discusses three key polysaccharides derived from plants and seaweeds: nanocellulose, thermoplastic starch, and seaweed-derived hydrocolloids.
Food Technology Research
Apr 26, 2022

Service Robots Set to Revolutionize Various Industries
The service robotics industry has grown quickly in recent years, spurred on by advances in robotics technology and artificial intelligence (AI), and maybe set to help alleviate some of the labor issues across multiple industries.
Food Technology Research
Apr 26, 2022

Automated Analysis of Animal Behaviour
Researchers have developed a new method that uses artificial intelligence to analyse animal behaviour. This opens the door to longer-term in-depth studies in the field of behavioural science - while also helping to improve animal welfare. The method is already being tested at Zurich Zoo.
Food Technology Research
Apr 15, 2022

Artificial Intelligence can Grow a Lettuce Crop Autonomously
The five international teams participating in the final rounds of the 3rd Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge have completed the first try-out experiment. The teams tested their algorithms and gained experience during a first crop cycle with lettuce.
Food Technology Research
Apr 15, 2022

World's First Quantum Dot LED Lights Developed from Rice Husks
Milling rice to separate the grain from the husks produces about 100 million tons of rice husk waste globally each year. Scientists searching for a scalable method to fabricate quantum dots have developed a way to recycle rice husks to create the first silicon quantum dot LED light. Their new method transforms agricultural waste into state-of-the-art light-emitting diodes in a low-cost, environmentally friendly way.
Food Technology Research
Apr 12, 2022

Hyperspectral Imaging Enables Improved Machine Vision
Machine vision is increasingly important for many applications, such as object classification. However, relying on conventional RGB imaging is sometimes insufficient - the input images are just too similar, regardless of algorithmic sophistication. Hyperspectral imaging adds the extra dimension of wavelength to conventional images, providing a much richer data set.
IDTechEx Research Subscribers
Vertical Farms: Moving Beyond Leafy Greens?
This premium article looks into vertical farming beyond leafy greens. It will give an introduction to vertical farming, as well as looking at current crops being grown by vertical farms and the limitations of those crops. Additionally, it will give an analysis of the crops vertical farming companies are looking to grow and explore the current market players.
Food Technology Research
Apr 11, 2022

Robot Bees to Stimulate Pollination
Two scientists from the UK and the US have been jointly awarded £640,000 to build microrobots that simulate the buzzing of bees. Over three years the scientists will work to build tiny robots that can reproduce the buzzes of pollinating bees.
Food Technology Research
Apr 6, 2022

Kennedy Scientists Develop New Way to Plant, Nourish Seeds in Space
What started five years ago as a casual conversation among a small group at NASA's Kennedy Space Center recently showed results that one day may help feed astronauts on long-duration space missions. Plant researchers at the Florida spaceport had been chatting about new ways to plant crops in microgravity when they came up with the idea of a seed film.
IDTechEx Research Subscribers
How Viable Are Aquaponics Methods in Vertical Farming?
This premium article looks into aquaponics methods in vertical farming, with an introduction to vertical farming and aquaponics, the difficulties associated with aquaponics, and examples of companies in the market.
Food Technology Research
Apr 1, 2022

Artificial Intelligence Locates "Invisible" Water in Mali and Chad
Using algorithms and artificial intelligence, a research team has designed a tool which, in its initial trials, proved capable of predicting those areas with best access to potable groundwater in Africa, with a success rate of close to 90%.
IDTechEx Research Subscribers
Lighting Systems in Vertical Farms
This premium article looks into lighting systems in vertical farms. It introduces vertical farming, explores light recipes and choosing the right LEDS for a vertical farm, and looks at key market players.
Food Technology Research
Mar 24, 2022

Low-Cost Sensing Assists Climate Adaptation
'What gets measured gets managed' is a well-known adage in business, but could it also be applied to mitigating the effects of climate change? The recently published IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report emphasizes the importance of adaptation alongside emission reduction.
Food Technology Research
Mar 23, 2022

The Sea Urchin Vacuum
Developed in Norway, the C Disc is a mobile and efficient diver-operated tool that can be used for harvesting various species from the seabed. The technology is designed to increase the catch rate, compared to traditional hand-picking by divers. With improved efficiency, the C Disc could help make sea urchin harvesting a sustainable and commercially viable venture in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Food Technology Research
Mar 21, 2022

Tiny Battery-Free Sensors Float in The Wind like Dandelion Seeds
Wireless sensors can monitor how temperature, humidity or other environmental conditions vary across large swaths of land, such as farms or forests. These tools could provide unique insights for a variety of applications, including digital agriculture and monitoring climate change.
IDTechEx Research Subscribers
PHA Biopolyesters
PHAs are a class of biopolyesters produced by microbes fed with sugar and fatty feedstocks such as organic waste. Their renewability, as well as their biodegradability, make these materials suitable alternatives to fossil-based plastics, particularly for applications in single-use plastics, yet historically PHA suppliers have struggled with high prices and low production. Recent developments in the industry, as well as the rising cost of brent crude, are making these biopolyesters more competitive against fossil-based plastics.
Food Technology Research
May 9, 2022

New Research to Minimise Impact of Wind Energy on Migratory Birds
The development of wind energy is expanding worldwide in an effort to limit greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change. However, locations ideal for harvesting wind energy often overlap with wildlife concentrations, potentially leading to collisions and habitat loss. Researchers have found that data collected by weather radar networks could be used to reduce collisions and minimize habitat-related impacts of wind turbines on nocturnally migrating birds.
IDTechEx Research Subscribers
Plant Polysaccharide Bioplastics
Single-use plastics account for between 30-50% of all plastic applications. Eliminating single-use plastics poses opportunities for alternative materials to supplant their applications. Materials that are biodegradable and home compostable, rather than requiring industrial composting, are particularly valuable. For this reason, there is much interest around plant polysaccharides as a source of biodegradable material. In this premium article, IDTechEx discusses three key polysaccharides derived from plants and seaweeds: nanocellulose, thermoplastic starch, and seaweed-derived hydrocolloids.
Food Technology Research
Apr 26, 2022

Automated Analysis of Animal Behaviour
Researchers have developed a new method that uses artificial intelligence to analyse animal behaviour. This opens the door to longer-term in-depth studies in the field of behavioural science - while also helping to improve animal welfare. The method is already being tested at Zurich Zoo.
Food Technology Research
Apr 15, 2022

World's First Quantum Dot LED Lights Developed from Rice Husks
Milling rice to separate the grain from the husks produces about 100 million tons of rice husk waste globally each year. Scientists searching for a scalable method to fabricate quantum dots have developed a way to recycle rice husks to create the first silicon quantum dot LED light. Their new method transforms agricultural waste into state-of-the-art light-emitting diodes in a low-cost, environmentally friendly way.
IDTechEx Research Subscribers
Vertical Farms: Moving Beyond Leafy Greens?
This premium article looks into vertical farming beyond leafy greens. It will give an introduction to vertical farming, as well as looking at current crops being grown by vertical farms and the limitations of those crops. Additionally, it will give an analysis of the crops vertical farming companies are looking to grow and explore the current market players.
Food Technology Research
Apr 6, 2022

Kennedy Scientists Develop New Way to Plant, Nourish Seeds in Space
What started five years ago as a casual conversation among a small group at NASA's Kennedy Space Center recently showed results that one day may help feed astronauts on long-duration space missions. Plant researchers at the Florida spaceport had been chatting about new ways to plant crops in microgravity when they came up with the idea of a seed film.
Food Technology Research
Apr 1, 2022

Artificial Intelligence Locates "Invisible" Water in Mali and Chad
Using algorithms and artificial intelligence, a research team has designed a tool which, in its initial trials, proved capable of predicting those areas with best access to potable groundwater in Africa, with a success rate of close to 90%.
Food Technology Research
Mar 24, 2022

Low-Cost Sensing Assists Climate Adaptation
'What gets measured gets managed' is a well-known adage in business, but could it also be applied to mitigating the effects of climate change? The recently published IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report emphasizes the importance of adaptation alongside emission reduction.
Food Technology Research
Mar 21, 2022

Tiny Battery-Free Sensors Float in The Wind like Dandelion Seeds
Wireless sensors can monitor how temperature, humidity or other environmental conditions vary across large swaths of land, such as farms or forests. These tools could provide unique insights for a variety of applications, including digital agriculture and monitoring climate change.
Food Technology Research
May 9, 2022

New Wearable Technology - For Plants
Plants can't speak up when they are thirsty. And visual signs, such as shriveling or browning leaves, don't start until most of their water is gone. To detect water loss earlier, researchers have created a wearable sensor for plant leaves. The system wirelessly transmits data to a smartphone app, allowing for remote management of drought stress in gardens and crops.
Food Technology Research
May 4, 2022

Join the Upcoming Webinar on Service Robots - Who Are the Winners?
Thursday 12 May 2022, presented by IDTechEx Technology Analyst Yulin Wang - Service Robots: Automate People's Lives and Multiple Industries - Who Are the Winners?
Food Technology Research
Apr 26, 2022

Service Robots Set to Revolutionize Various Industries
The service robotics industry has grown quickly in recent years, spurred on by advances in robotics technology and artificial intelligence (AI), and maybe set to help alleviate some of the labor issues across multiple industries.
Food Technology Research
Apr 15, 2022

Artificial Intelligence can Grow a Lettuce Crop Autonomously
The five international teams participating in the final rounds of the 3rd Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge have completed the first try-out experiment. The teams tested their algorithms and gained experience during a first crop cycle with lettuce.
Food Technology Research
Apr 12, 2022

Hyperspectral Imaging Enables Improved Machine Vision
Machine vision is increasingly important for many applications, such as object classification. However, relying on conventional RGB imaging is sometimes insufficient - the input images are just too similar, regardless of algorithmic sophistication. Hyperspectral imaging adds the extra dimension of wavelength to conventional images, providing a much richer data set.
Food Technology Research
Apr 11, 2022

Robot Bees to Stimulate Pollination
Two scientists from the UK and the US have been jointly awarded £640,000 to build microrobots that simulate the buzzing of bees. Over three years the scientists will work to build tiny robots that can reproduce the buzzes of pollinating bees.
IDTechEx Research Subscribers
How Viable Are Aquaponics Methods in Vertical Farming?
This premium article looks into aquaponics methods in vertical farming, with an introduction to vertical farming and aquaponics, the difficulties associated with aquaponics, and examples of companies in the market.
IDTechEx Research Subscribers
Lighting Systems in Vertical Farms
This premium article looks into lighting systems in vertical farms. It introduces vertical farming, explores light recipes and choosing the right LEDS for a vertical farm, and looks at key market players.
Food Technology Research
Mar 23, 2022

The Sea Urchin Vacuum
Developed in Norway, the C Disc is a mobile and efficient diver-operated tool that can be used for harvesting various species from the seabed. The technology is designed to increase the catch rate, compared to traditional hand-picking by divers. With improved efficiency, the C Disc could help make sea urchin harvesting a sustainable and commercially viable venture in Newfoundland and Labrador.