Printed Electronics for the Management of Covid-19
10 January 2022: More than a year after the onset of the Corona pandemic, the world is still in a state of emergency. Printed electronics offers solutions to release pressure from the healthcare system and increase the effectiveness of protective measures. “Printed electronics manufacturers responded extremely fast to the pandemic and have adapted their products to meet the particular challenges,” explained Dr. Klaus Hecker, Managing Director of the OE-A. However, the technology’s potential is still far from being exploited. With its proven combination of international exhibition and Conference, LOPEC consequently targets all players along the entire value chain of printed electronics. “We want to inspire innovative solutions and encourage collaboration, because in times of the pandemic, cross-industry cooperation is more important than ever,” emphasized Lena Haushofer, LOPEC Exhibition Director at Messe München.
One example of successful cooperation is the Covid-19 health patch which was jointly developed by seven companies, led by LOPEC exhibitors Henkel and Quad Industries. In their plenary lecture at the LOPEC Conference on March 24 2021, Dr. Stijn Gillissen, Global Head Printed Electronics at the Duesseldorf-based consumer goods manufacturer Henkel and Dr. Wim Christiaens, R&D Director at the Belgian technology provider Quad Industries presented their concept. The patch is based on integrated printed sensors to capture respiration, heart rate and body temperature of Covid-19 patients. The data are transmitted wirelessly to the cloud and can be accessed through a user-friendly platform. Consequently, medical staff cannot only save time but also avoid direct contact with infected persons, thus reducing the risk of infection. Following successful tests last spring, the Covid-19 health patches are meanwhile being used by around 20 clinics in Belgium.
Printed electronics is thin, flexible and lightweight. These properties make them compatible with the soft, curved and dynamic surfaces of the human body, pointed out Professor John Rogers of Northwestern University in Illinois, USA. In his LOPEC plenary lecture on 25th March 2021, he spoke about the topic of health monitoring in more detail. In addition to Covid-19 projects, Rogers will focus on the patches his group developed for the monitoring of premature and newborn infants.
