GLEN ALLEN, VA /PRNewswire/ -- The market for printed and organic sensors will reach $2.3 billion by 2015, according to a new study from NanoMarkets LC, an industry analyst firm based here. The report is the latest in the firm's ongoing coverage of thin-film, organic, and printed electronics. Additional details can be found on the company's Web site.
NanoMarkets believes that sensors represent an especially attractive opportunity for printed and organic electronics firms because unlike displays and RFIDs, printed and organic sensors are areas relatively underserved by existing manufacturers. In addition to their attractive price points, printed and organic sensors manufactured on flexible substrates provide the means for new markets to be developed in medical, architecture and construction, protective clothing, smart labels and packaging, robotics, aerospace, national defense, and automotive applications.
The key findings of the report include:
- Environmental monitoring needs accurate and inexpensive long-term monitoring of environmental contaminants. Biosensors created with printed electrodes or organic transistors could offer an inexpensive solution, and electronic noses using conductive polymers could provide real-time identification of contaminants. By 2015, environmental monitoring will be the largest single segment of the printed and organic sensor market, at $925 million.
- Genetic testing, forensics, pharmaceutical manufacture, and a broad range of academic disciplines have exploded following the completion of the Humane Genome Project. As a result, there is a surging demand for microarrays and biochips, which are expected to reach $413 million by 2015. Agilent is already inkjet printing all of its microarrays.
- The lowered costs associated with printing and organic electronics is also accelerating the trend toward replacing expensive, centralized diagnostic equipment, with lower cost point-of-care and home testing. Biosensors are a major part of the trend, as are printed touch sensors, which can be used to diagnose muscular and bone diseases. By 2015, the printed/organic medical diagnostic and therapeutic sensor market (microarrays and biochips excluded) will reach $414 million.
- Smart textiles offer considerable potential for sensors. Applications include garments that adapt to changing temperature and body suits that monitor human physiological state and communicate to a central system. Smart fabrics would better allow the military to communicate, respond to emergencies, and achieve informational and situational awareness advantages. The value of printed and organic sensors used in smart textiles is expected to reach $226 million by 2015.
About the Report
NanoMarkets' new report provides a complete analysis of the commercial opportunities for sensors that use printed and organic electronics. Applications covered included biomedical and genetic applications, homeland security, environmental sensing, robotics, pervasive computing, smart packaging, and smart textiles. The report also includes detailed eight-year (volume and value) forecasts of these markets, as well as strategic profiles of leading firms developing and marketing this emerging technology.
Among the firms and research centers mentioned in the report are Acrongenomics, Affymetrix, Agilent, Alpha MOS, AromaScan, BioDot, Bio Sensor Technologies, Cypak, Drop Sens EcoBioServices, ExonHit Therapeutics, Gas Sensor Solutions, GeSiM Infotonics, MeadWestvaco, Molecular Vision, National Centre for Sensor Research, NanoIdent, NASA, Nokia Research Center, Novartis, Ohmcraft, Osmatech, Pearson Matthews, Peratech, PerkinElmer, Rusens LTD, Sensible Solutions, Smiths Detection, Stora Enso, TagMaster, Tekscan, VTT, Yubico, Zyomyx, and Windsor Scientific.
About NanoMarkets
NanoMarkets tracks and analyzes emerging market opportunities in electronics created by developments in advanced materials. The firm has published numerous reports related to organic, thin-film, and printable electronics materials and applications. The firm also publishes a blog online. NanoMarkets research database is the industry's most extensive source of information on TOP electronics. Visit the firm's Web site for a full listing of coverage.