Keynote speakers of the FLEX conferences included Michael McCreary of E Ink who gave a presentation entitled “Electrophoretic Display Technology Will Change the Look of Automobiles, Transportation, and Beyond.” Following was Dawson Cagle of IARPA with “IARPA’S Smart ePANTS Program–Weaving Electronics into Textiles.” Last was John D. Williams with Boeing’s Research and Technology division, who spoke about “Multilayer Flexible Electronic Devices for IoT and RF Applications.”
The Future FLEX Disruptors Presentation, led by a panel of Venture Capitalists including Frank Lee of Applied Ventures, Lu Zhang of Fusion Fund, Lucio Lanza of Lanza techVentures, and Peter Rodriquez of Silicon Catalyst, shared some fascinating new innovations including Alertgy’s fully non-invasive continuous blood glucose monitor solution, the latest in SWIR (short wave infrared) technology for cameras, and plasma jet printing technology.
Last, the FLEXI awards featured some of the top innovators in the industry. Jacob Manzi of Boise State University won first place in the Student Poster Competition with his project, “Plasma-jet based printing and in situ sintering of gold patterns for paper-based flexible electronics.” Dr. Sheng Xu of UC San Diego won the Flexi Award for R&D Achievements for his Fully Integrated Wireless Ultrasound Patch. The Flexi Award for Environmental Sustainability Champion went to Bob Praino, CIO and Co-Founder of CHASM Advanced Materials, Inc., and the Flexi Award for Industry Leadership was awarded to Michael Ciesinski, retired CEO & President of FlexTech, as well as retired vice president of SEMI.