Digid has announced the full qualification of its patented printed electronics fabrication technology for volume production of nanoscale temperature and force sensors, measuring as small as 1µm. These sensors are touted as the smallest globally, with future production aiming for even smaller dimensions of just 10nm.
Nanoscale sensing is pivotal for sectors like physical AI and humanoid robotics. It addresses challenges such as Moravec’s paradox, where robots struggle with tasks easy for humans due to the lack of nerve endings. Digid’s sensors, which can be arranged in arrays on surfaces like a robot’s shell, provide machines with the ability to mimic human sensory capabilities.
Applications for Digid sensors span various fields: from force sensing on robotic surgical equipment scalpels, to temperature monitoring in minimal surgical probes. They are also used in enhancing safety in battery cells and as biosensors for detecting biological objects and chemical markers in the bloodstream.
Dr Konstantin Kloppstech, Digid’s CTO, stated, “With the start of mass production of Digid sensors, the opportunities to embed sensing on almost any surface or in almost any device have become limitless. Our sensor is so small that it cannot be seen with the naked eye. Now it is up to the imaginations of design engineers to dream of uses for sensing where sensing has never before been possible.”
Digid provides a comprehensive integration solution, offering custom sensors and assembly, alongside hardware and software support. The sensors deliver voltage or resistance measurement outputs via an I²C interface, with Digid’s signal processing software converting these into valuable data.
Beyond their nanoscale size, Digid sensors offer benefits such as negligible self-heating, highly accurate outputs, and minimal digital overhead. Unlike other sensors, they require no compensation for drift or non-linearities, enhancing their reliability.
