Aug 13 2015
Nano Engineered Applications, Inc. (NEA), an ieCrowd Company, today announced the development of a new, customizable nano gas sensor platform that will enable the configuration of small, nanomaterial-based gas sensors and their incorporation into a range of existing and new devices.
NEA's sensor technology detects gases at the part-per-billion (ppb) level using a standard, packaged sensor chip that incorporates nanomaterials, proprietary algorithms, low-power consumption and other features to operate at a high level of sensitivity and efficiency in a range of environments.
The new standard, packaged sensor chip, customizable for different applications, is well suited for adding new features to existing devices that sense air quality, specific or dangerous gases or other atmospheric variables, whether for mobile phones, commercial, industrial, or security-related uses. The packaged sensor chip has been designed to be embedded into such devices as smartphones, health-focused wearables, smart-home features (including smoke, carbon monoxide and natural gas detectors), air purifiers, production line systems, drones and professional gas detection equipment.
Complementing this development, the recently opened NEA Product Development Laboratory in San Diego, California will expand NEA's development of new sensors, capable of detecting more and different gases. This will further expand the customization options available to users of NEA's standard packaged sensor chip.
NEA's team includes scientists and product development specialists from multiple disciplines including nanoengineering, chemical engineering, data science, mathematics, electronics and software engineering. NEA's nanomaterial-based gas sensors will incorporate intellectual property developed by NEA scientists and engineers and early intellectual property acquired from research institutions such as the University of California, Riverside.
"With recent breakthroughs in our nano technology and manufacturing processes, we are in a position to advance our innovations with highly-customized solutions to meet the future demands of partners and customers in multiple end-markets worldwide," said Sundip Doshi, NEA's Business Unit President. "In addition to being able to detect traces of specific airborne gases, our packaged chips are being designed for mass manufacturing. They will be a turnkey solution for business customers seeking to integrate our sensor technology into their products."
"Our development processes, which include proprietary apparatus, will enable us to fabricate and test our sensors in real world environments for specific market applications," said Lab Manager Dr. Heng Chia Su, a research scientist. "This is crucial for helping our sensors perform at their highest level in circumstances where ongoing changes in environmental conditions can play a huge role."
NEA is designing its products for an approximately $3B addressable market. When they are ready for sale, NEA's nano gas sensors will be adaptable for the detection of food spoilage, quality control systems, plant and pathogen detection, military and homeland security solutions and various non-intrusive medical disease detections and monitoring.