CORDIS Express: Cutting edge electronics and robotics research
We are now more dependent than ever on electronic components and systems. They already provide the very basis of our everyday devices, such as mobile phones and computers. They are also an important component in the architecture of the robots that assist or even replace people performing repetitive or dangerous tasks. Micro/Nano-electronics take us to a world so miniature that it's difficult for us to comprehend it - at nano level we are dealing with measurements that are 1/60 000th the width of a human hair! It is at this level that researchers are pushing the frontiers of hardware and software. Electronics are enhancing our lives beyond just the obvious. For example, they have been instrumental in the design of novel neuro-prosthetic systems helping individuals suffering from spinal cord injury to walk again. It is also expected that in ten years, electronic components and subsystems will represent half the value of our cars. Electronics is also vital to robotics. This industry is growing ever more important to the EU in terms of both the social and economic benefits. The global robotics market is now worth EUR 15.5 billion a year, with some EUR 3 billion of that in the EU. By 2020, the whole service robotics market could be worth over EUR 100 billion. These are both dynamic fields where our top researchers are pushing the boundaries of possibility. This edition of CORDIS Express provides a selection of EU-funded projects to the forefront of these research efforts. - Trending Science: Flexible electronics for implants - Improving everyday electronic devices - Advanced welding process for electronics - Mobile robot to boost aerospace production - A new World Wide Web strictly for robots - Building a robot to mimic plants