TECHINNOVATION TECH OFFERS

Maskless laser lithography (MLL) is a microfabrication technique used to create complex patterns on a substrate with high precision and resolution.  A Singapore-based research team has developed a compact and cost-effective MLL system by seamlessly integrating hardware and software components. By seamlessly integrating with computer-aided design software, operators can easily input arbitrary patterns for exposure. The small system footprint makes it ideal for research labs and offers widespread applicability across various fields, including microfluidics, electronics, and nano/micro mechanical systems. The system's cost-effectiveness extends its benefits beyond university research labs, presenting opportunities for semiconductor and medical companies to leverage its capabilities. This technology is available for IP licensing or further co-development in view of scale-up manufacture and commercialisation.

The regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions have led to the adoption of a remodelling strategy that focuses on decreasing the energy usage of buildings. This can be achieved through measures such as thermal insulation and retrofitting, which extend the lifespan of buildings while reducing their energy consumption. The proposed technology by a Singapore-based research team utilises proprietary Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) material for reinforcement to enhance the longevity of buildings. It contains a modified epoxy adhesive used in the FRP-adhesive-concrete interfaces to provide a range of advantageous properties, that include being 5 times lighter while 10 times higher tensile and flexural strength than steel, cost-effective in production, easily shaped, demonstrating high corrosion resistance, and offering both flexibility and tolerance to misalignment. In addition, through the modification of bonding agents and surface aerogel insulation, the fire retardancy of the material had been enhanced by 3 classes to V-0 rating according to the UL 94 plastic flammability standard. Among the superinsulation materials, aerogel stands out with its unique acoustic properties and significantly lower thermal conductivity of approximately 0.014 W/m.K. Additionally, it possesses exceptional physical and chemical attributes, such as its translucent structure. As a result, it is widely regarded as one of the most highly promising materials for thermal insulation in building applications. The FRP technology is currently pending fire testing to meet local regulatory requirements (e.g., BS 476 Part 20-23) and will be subjected to evaluation by the Building Innovation Panel of BCA in coming months. The technology owner is keen to support interested industrial partners to fabricate larger prototype of the FRP for test-bedding on site, and eventually license the intellectual property to the industrial partner for commercialisation.

Lithium-ion battery technology using graphite anode material is widely used in consumer electronics, electric vehicles and energy storage systems. However, for high-power, ultra-fast charge/discharge applications, e.g., regenerative braking in cars, electric buses, batteries for aircraft/marine sectors, graphite anode material is less preferred due to safety and performance limitations. Currently, lithium titanate oxide or LTO battery technology is one of the commercially available solutions for high power applications. LTO battery is a type of rechargeable battery that has a longer cycle life, faster charging and safer than conventional lithium-ion batteries. Despite these advantages, LTO battery is up to two times more costly than conventional lithium-ion batteries in the market, and has considerably lower specific energy density of about 60-110 Wh/kg than conventional lithium-ion chemistries, e.g., 90-165 Wh/kg for LFP and 150-270 Wh/kg for NMC.   The technology proposed by the Singapore-based research team relates to a method to synthesise a proprietary formulation of lithium-ion battery anode consists of mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO2) material. This novel anode formulation for high power batteries is potentially able to reduce the production cost to about US$250-300 per kWh from US$500-600 per kWh for LTO, according to preliminary estimates by the team based on manufacturing capabilities in China. The cost reduction is derived from the use of cheaper TiO2 raw materials (vs. LTO) and the simple manufacturing process. The mesoporous TiO2 anode material can be integrated into existing manufacturing lines for lithium-ion cells without the need for new equipment. Using 18650 cylindrical cell of mesoporous TiO2 anode material with manganese-based cathode material, the cell achieved superior charging rate performance of up to 5C, energy density level of 70-100 Wh/kg and a cycle life of about 10,000 cycles, while retaining 75% of the initial capacity. The research team anticipated that the TiO2 cells will have up to 30% better energy density than LTO cell technology. The research team is seeking industry partners to collaborate for a 5-10 kWh test bed project on a fast-charging application including uninterrupted power supply (UPS), regenerative braking and etc. The research team is able to tap on their in-house facilities to fabricate mesoporous TiO2 cells (32700 or 18650 format) using the novel anode formulation.  

As the world continues to make strides in artificial intelligence (AI), the need for transparency in the field intensifies. Clear and understandable explanations for the predictions of AI models not only enhances user confidence but also enables effective decision-making. Such explanations are especially crucial in sectors like healthcare where predictions can have significant and sometimes life-changing consequences. A prime example is the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases based on heart murmurs, where an incorrect or misunderstood diagnosis can have severe implications. The technology, DiagramNet, is designed to offer human-like intuitive explanations for diagnosing cardiovascular diseases from heart sounds. It leverages the human  reasoning processes of abduction and deduction to generate hypotheses of what diseases could have caused the specific heart sound, and to evaluate the hypotheses based on rules.

Timely and adequate rehabilitation is critical in facilitating post-stroke recovery. However, the organisation and delivery of rehabilitation are resource-demanding, and are only available in ~25% of stroke survivors in low-middle-income countries. Therefore, innovative solutions are urgently required to improve access to stroke rehabilitation services. Our team developed a platform to assist remote dissemination of physio- and occupational therapy services. Our platform enables post-stroke rehabilitation services to be delivered using consumer-grade devices (e.g., smartphones and tablet devices) and artificial intelligence technology, thereby breaking many physical and resource barriers to rehabilitation service access. Our platform is designed for hospitals, rehabilitation centres and post-stroke service providers. The system consists of two interfaces – the therapist portal and patient application. Portal system enables remote prescription of exercises and monitor exercise performance and progress, whereas the patient application acts as a “smart therapist” in providing real-time instructions and feedback. The system addresses limitations faced by the conventional phone interview- and video conference style of telemedicine, which mainly relies on self-reporting and subjective recall. Using devices’ built-in camera and relevant Internet of Things (IoTs), we automated the evaluation process using algorithms with key features identified by professional therapists for providing “supervision” through real-time feedback.

There is an increasing requirement for systems that can detect people in built up space. The requirements come from diverse fields such as safety, security and sustainability. In the field of safety, video cameras or wearables have conventionally been used and both come with significant downsides. Video cameras are highly dependent on the line of sight and are privacy invasive while wearables introduce a burden on the end user. Microwave radar-based solutions are a field of research which can overcome the downsides by being accurate, not burdening the end user and by removing the requirement of line-of-sight. The company provides algorithmic solution in this space based on microwave radar in a Multi Input Multi Output (MIMO) configuration. The solution utilizes biological activity including respiration and heartbeat and consequently does not require measurement of the static environment in advance.

Keratins are naturally occurring proteins found in hair, feathers, wool and other external protective tissues of animals. They are highly abundant, naturally produced and generally underutilized. At the same time, keratins offer versatile chemical properties that allow interactions with themselves or with other materials to improve behaviour. The technology provider has developed sustainable, biodegradable plastic materials by upcycling keratins derived from hair and feathers. In the preliminary studies, the technology provider has found ways to produce films that have the potential to be used as packaging materials. These films do not disintegrate readily in water, yet they fully degrade in soil within a week. They can be made in combination with other waste-derived biopolymers to improve strength to meet the needs of specific use cases. This technology is available for R&D collaboration, IP licensing, or IP acquisition, with industrial partners who are looking for a green packaging solution and to explore specific-use-case products. The technology provider is also interested to collaborate with the OEM partners having the keratin extraction facility from feathers and hair for the deployment of this technology.