In this article IDTechEx gives a short overview of the topic of wide bandgap semiconductors covering the fundamental material science, the key players, the market potential. The impact on a range of applications will also be discussed, with a focus on renewable energy systems and microgrids.

IDTechEx attended the event last week to meet with key stakeholders including industrial OEMs, power module manufacturers, established semiconductor companies and innovative new GaN (gallium nitride) and SiC (silicon carbide) developers to report back on the current and future trends. The following article is the second of two parts and provides a summary of some of the key GaN related developments and at the event and their impact on various industries and applications.

IDTechEx attended the event last week to meet with key stakeholders including industrial OEMs, power module manufacturers, established semiconductor companies and innovative GaN (gallium nitride and SiC (silicon carbide) developers to report back on the current and future trends.

Autonomous mobility, in the general public's eye, is now synonymous with cars. Whilst this might be the largest ultimate prize, it is by no means the only commercial manifestation of this technology. Indeed, as the IDTechEx Research report New Robotics and Drones 2018-2038: Technologies, Forecasts, Players demonstrates, numerous autonomous mobile robots are being commercialized in applications where there is (a) a clear commercial purpose and (b) a more structured and predictable environment.

IDTechEx will be hosting a free webinar on Thursday 24 May titled Robots and drones: How everything is changing.

There is an increasing demand for monitoring environmental air conditions both indoors and outdoors, as poor air quality is a growing threat to the public health.

In this article, we will describe the upcoming transformation in the world of robotics. This analysis is drawn from our report New Robotics and Drones 2018-2038: Technologies, Forecasts, Players

Recent progress in renewables has bordered on the surreal. At ICREN Barcelona recently we were invited to consider those giant wind turbines sweeping 200 meters of sky. Up there the wind is stronger and more consistent and that size of turbine is more efficient.

Single crystal silicon photovoltaics will now be very affordable, obsoleting polycrystalline Si PV by having efficiency much higher. Laminating it onto supercapacitor sheeting will form a load bearing material that both makes and stores electricity, delivering it exceptionally fast when needed.

Agriculture is facing major long-term challenges. Some forecasts suggest that world population is set to grow by 2.3 billion by 2050. This, together with rising global income levels that typically increase food demand per capital, would require raising food production in 2050 by 70% compared to 2005 levels.

The market for transparent conductive films and materials has been rapidly changing.

Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) have been known and explored for a very long time, but new innovations and an increased demand for high-performance lightweight materials means that they are finally ready to make it beyond their previous false starts.

Sensel creates next-generation touch technology. Multi-touch, highly sensitive, low power, and mobile, Sensel's PressureGrid™ makes computing more comfortable and creative.

In the past five years or so several major research groups have demonstrated that robots can learn to grasp novel varied objects with accuracy levels around 80-85%. Still performance levels, even in the labs, are sub-human but this is changing fast.

Trucking is a big business. In this article we will demonstrate how and why trucking driving is going autonomous.

This article covers a number of topics to highlight how robotic technology within agriculture is altering the landscape.

Raghu Das introduced the technologies covered and an introduction to the IDTechEx Show! USA 2017

Winners of the IDTechEx Show! USA Awards - Energy Harvesting, Energy Storage and Electric Vehicles. The annual IDTechEx Show! USA awards were presented in Santa Clara last week during the drinks reception at the end of day one.

Each year at the IDTechEx Show!, two companies are honoured for their achievements in developing and commercialising different aspects of wearable technology. This year the awards were judged by Dr Akira Sakaigawa (Huawei), Chris Chin (HTC Vive) and Heidi Dohse (Google) with support from the independent analyst team with IDTechEx Research.

Raghu Das, CEO and Chris Clare, Event Director, IDTechEx tells you what to expect at the upcoming IDTechEx Show! held at the Santa Clara Convention Center, November 15-16 2017.