Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ReACTIVE Too (Reliable Electronics for Tomorrow’s Active Systems)
Reporting period: 2020-02-01 to 2023-07-31
What is the problem/issue being addressed?
ReACTIVE To project brings together a unique team of academic and industrial members to form a tight confederation to tackle challenging aspects of reliability and future developments in electronic systems. The team will develop novel tools for agile design, testing, analysing and improving the reliability of new devices in various demanding applications and environments, such as in automotive user experience and active safety applications and active and assisted living, which will help manufacturers identify and mitigate failure risks during the design stage; and consequently help to optimise reliability in all applications, moreover realise substantial design time efficiencies and cost savings. The project will also address the challenges of wearable electronic related to short battery life while developing technologies for harvesting energy from diverse sources.
Why is it important for society?
The outcome of the ReACTIVE Too project will contribute to a reduction in road fatalities, increased reliability and productivity for electronics-based systems, added value to the healthcare sector though improved ambient assisted living, increased energy efficiency by introducing active energy harvesting into products, and more efficient use of rare resources helping to protect the environment. These advances will create potential market opportunities for non-academic participants in the project and have significant benefit for European. Moreover, there is a growing ageing group and increase in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases leading to different level of disaility. Therefore, the development of innovative technologies for assisted living, for example, to support independent living and ageing in place would contribute to easing the pressure on social and healthcare professionals and the whole healthcare system while enhancing users' safety and experience.
What are the overall objectives?
The overall objective is to form an international and inter-sectoral network of organisations working on a joint research programme in the fields of Active Safety or Smart Systems for Automated Driving, Active/Ambient assisted Living, Active Health, and Active/Green Energy. Specific objectives are to
1. Make a significant contribution to the European Union research on Smart Systems for Automated Driving.
2. Share existing understanding and experiences of enhancing the design and manufacture of flexible and wearable electronics.
3. Generate new knowledge on the integration of electronic devices in connected wearable and portable settings (e.g. textiles, flexible or stretchable substrates), interconnection, compatibility with low-cost manufacturing, efficient energy scavenging and storage, functional performance, and durability/reliability.
4. Develop Design for Reliability techniques for Electronics Based Systems deployed in User Experience and Safety Applications for Automotive and Wearables.
5. Share this new knowledge in order to develop Design for Reliability techniques for Electronics Based Systems deployed in User Experience and Safety Applications for Automotive and Wearables to contribute to EPoSS (European Technology Platform on Smart Systems Integration) European Roadmap Smart Systems for Automated Driving.
ReACTIVE To project brings together a unique team of academic and industrial members to form a tight confederation to tackle challenging aspects of reliability and future developments in electronic systems. The team will develop novel tools for agile design, testing, analysing and improving the reliability of new devices in various demanding applications and environments, such as in automotive user experience and active safety applications and active and assisted living, which will help manufacturers identify and mitigate failure risks during the design stage; and consequently help to optimise reliability in all applications, moreover realise substantial design time efficiencies and cost savings. The project will also address the challenges of wearable electronic related to short battery life while developing technologies for harvesting energy from diverse sources.
Why is it important for society?
The outcome of the ReACTIVE Too project will contribute to a reduction in road fatalities, increased reliability and productivity for electronics-based systems, added value to the healthcare sector though improved ambient assisted living, increased energy efficiency by introducing active energy harvesting into products, and more efficient use of rare resources helping to protect the environment. These advances will create potential market opportunities for non-academic participants in the project and have significant benefit for European. Moreover, there is a growing ageing group and increase in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases leading to different level of disaility. Therefore, the development of innovative technologies for assisted living, for example, to support independent living and ageing in place would contribute to easing the pressure on social and healthcare professionals and the whole healthcare system while enhancing users' safety and experience.
What are the overall objectives?
The overall objective is to form an international and inter-sectoral network of organisations working on a joint research programme in the fields of Active Safety or Smart Systems for Automated Driving, Active/Ambient assisted Living, Active Health, and Active/Green Energy. Specific objectives are to
1. Make a significant contribution to the European Union research on Smart Systems for Automated Driving.
2. Share existing understanding and experiences of enhancing the design and manufacture of flexible and wearable electronics.
3. Generate new knowledge on the integration of electronic devices in connected wearable and portable settings (e.g. textiles, flexible or stretchable substrates), interconnection, compatibility with low-cost manufacturing, efficient energy scavenging and storage, functional performance, and durability/reliability.
4. Develop Design for Reliability techniques for Electronics Based Systems deployed in User Experience and Safety Applications for Automotive and Wearables.
5. Share this new knowledge in order to develop Design for Reliability techniques for Electronics Based Systems deployed in User Experience and Safety Applications for Automotive and Wearables to contribute to EPoSS (European Technology Platform on Smart Systems Integration) European Roadmap Smart Systems for Automated Driving.
The ReACTIVE Too Team has so far excellently delivered on all aspects of the project such as training/workshops and scientific research though the number of secondments is far lower than anticipated for the first period ended July 2023. 4 knowledge transfer workshops with 2 workshops related to WP2, “Smart furniture and wearables workshop” and "Ambient Assisted Living workshop" whereas workshops 3 and 4 are associated with work packages 1, 4 and 6. These workshops had a good blend presentation from industry and academics and very useful round table discussions. The round table discussion resulted in the development of new MSCA Staff Exchange proposals one of which has been further developed to be submitted in the call closing on 28th February 2024.
In term of scientific progress, the consortium can acknowledge some significant progress made by different partners that has led to different collaborative works, joint publications, new project proposals development and new prototypes development. This product development is particularly linked to work package WP2 with the development of smart furniture such as smart mirror, smart cloth and Tables. Junet company is ready to incorporate these into their production. For example, a Need mapping questionnaire with ethics approval obtained from the UoW for online workshops and survey for further need mapping and idea collections to improve the preliminary prototypes. Data are being collected internationally for both end users (https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CW2VBM5) and Health Care professionals (https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QNL7BR8 for the English version with video demos. The Finnish translations version is on-going. Based on ideas from the need mapping and ideation: technology demos built at the moment are comfortable EEG electrodes trials & “unnoticeable electronics”, led by Tampere University (Photo 1), Smart chair prototype based on the 1st version designed in Baltse@nioR project (Photo 2) and Smart Table prototype produced by Junet Ltd. (Photo 3). These prototypes have also been introduced to participating associations such as Autism Foundation Finland, The Finnish Association for the Welfare of Older Adults.
Others key activities include:
- a memorable Mid-term project meeting where ReACTIVE Too was highlighted by the REA as an exemplar project.
- monthly Connect and share seminar series to create more knowledge sharing and training opportunity between the ReACTIVE Too Team and people in partner institutions at large.
- 3 hybrid public lectures have been organised including one on “Current advances in IoT teaching, based on IOT-OPEN.EU project” at UoW by the SUT team which also shows the synergy between EU funding mechanisms.
In term of scientific progress, the consortium can acknowledge some significant progress made by different partners that has led to different collaborative works, joint publications, new project proposals development and new prototypes development. This product development is particularly linked to work package WP2 with the development of smart furniture such as smart mirror, smart cloth and Tables. Junet company is ready to incorporate these into their production. For example, a Need mapping questionnaire with ethics approval obtained from the UoW for online workshops and survey for further need mapping and idea collections to improve the preliminary prototypes. Data are being collected internationally for both end users (https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CW2VBM5) and Health Care professionals (https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QNL7BR8 for the English version with video demos. The Finnish translations version is on-going. Based on ideas from the need mapping and ideation: technology demos built at the moment are comfortable EEG electrodes trials & “unnoticeable electronics”, led by Tampere University (Photo 1), Smart chair prototype based on the 1st version designed in Baltse@nioR project (Photo 2) and Smart Table prototype produced by Junet Ltd. (Photo 3). These prototypes have also been introduced to participating associations such as Autism Foundation Finland, The Finnish Association for the Welfare of Older Adults.
Others key activities include:
- a memorable Mid-term project meeting where ReACTIVE Too was highlighted by the REA as an exemplar project.
- monthly Connect and share seminar series to create more knowledge sharing and training opportunity between the ReACTIVE Too Team and people in partner institutions at large.
- 3 hybrid public lectures have been organised including one on “Current advances in IoT teaching, based on IOT-OPEN.EU project” at UoW by the SUT team which also shows the synergy between EU funding mechanisms.
The project has started to developing practices for multidisciplinary collaboration and co-design. It includes stakeholders from various industries from electronics and material science to nursing and furniture design. The project has also boosted the international collaboration of industry and the academia by enhancing joint development activities and applied research. The impact of these activities is expected to increase as the project proceeds.
The project also increases participation of users including vulnerable user groups. The project is expected to enable the involvement of these users and through this to create possibilities for the users to effect on the product development. This collaboration is expected to create new practices for user-driven development.
New solders, new electronic designs and new reliability test regimes would advanced the state of the art for automotive and all electronics systems. Use of a variety of novel nanoparticles can increase the mechanical strength of solder joint by nearly 20% and the reliability of solder joints hence lifetimes by over 40%, significantly increasing overall lifetimes of electronic systems. This will impact safety critical systems such as healthcare , automotive, aerospace and domestic, and reduce recycling and energy costs as products will last longer and be more reliable.
The project also increases participation of users including vulnerable user groups. The project is expected to enable the involvement of these users and through this to create possibilities for the users to effect on the product development. This collaboration is expected to create new practices for user-driven development.
New solders, new electronic designs and new reliability test regimes would advanced the state of the art for automotive and all electronics systems. Use of a variety of novel nanoparticles can increase the mechanical strength of solder joint by nearly 20% and the reliability of solder joints hence lifetimes by over 40%, significantly increasing overall lifetimes of electronic systems. This will impact safety critical systems such as healthcare , automotive, aerospace and domestic, and reduce recycling and energy costs as products will last longer and be more reliable.