MEMS Investor Journal -- The Largest MEMS Publication in the World

Firefly BioWorks receives $2 million NIH grant for cancer diagnostics

Firefly BioWorks, a manufacturer of cancer diagnostic assays based on microfluidics, announced this week that it was awarded a $2 million grant from the National Cancer Institute for microRNA profiling.  MicroRNAs are an emerging class of biomarkers that are proving to be important indicators for early diagnosis of cancer and other diseases.  The company will use the award to expand production capacity and validate its microRNA assay against the current state of the art.  The goal of the Phase II SBIR grant studies is to develop a product providing a combination of performance, throughput and cost not available from existing solutions.

Comparative tablet teardowns reveal iPad design advantages

In the 15 months since the introduction of the iPad, competitive tablet manufacturers still cannot match the design efficiency of Apple's groundbreaking product, according to an IHS iSuppli teardown analysis of eight tablet models.  "Since Apple controls both the operating system and hardware design of the iPad, it is able to attain design efficiencies that other tablet manufacturers cannot," said Wayne Lam, Senior Analyst at IHS.  "These efficiencies become obvious in areas like the memory and the battery, where Apple maintains advantages in cost, space savings and performance compared with every competitor in the business."

EV Group to expand manufacturing, hire 100 more employees

EV Group, a supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, announced this week that it broke ground on expanding the company's manufacturing capacity at its headquarters in Austria earlier this month.  In addition, the company reports that it has witnessed a 40 percent increase in order intake in fiscal year 2011 compared with fiscal 2010, and is currently looking to recruit approximately 100 additional employees.

Maxim acquires MEMS maker SensorDynamics for $130 million

SensorDynamics, a specialist in MEMS and wireless semiconductor products, announced this week that it was acquired by Maxim Integrated Products, which specializes in analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products.  Maxim, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, is a Fortune 1000 company.  Maxim is paying approximately $130 million plus the assumption of about $34 million in debt to acquire SensorDynamics.

China smartphone shipments rise

Shipments of smartphones for sale in China are set to soar by a record 53 percent this year, according to new research from the IHS iSuppli.  Domestic smartphone shipments in China will rise to 54.1 million units in 2011, up from 35.3 million units in 2010.  Of the projected domestic total for this year, more than 10 million and 15 million smartphone units will come from the giant Chinese makers ZTE and Huawei, respectively.  By the end of 2015, IHS forecasts that Chinese companies will ship 111.6 million smartphones, rising at a compound annual growth rate of 25.9 percent from 2010.  In contrast, the global smartphone market will grow at a more modest CAGR of 20.7 percent during the same period.

Vuzix, Fraunhofer to develop MEMS based displays

Vuzix Corporation announced this week a strategic technology development partnership with the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS).  Vuzix and Fraunhofer IPMS have been engaged in the development of MEMS devices optimized for augmented and virtual wearable display solutions.  Vuzix said that this partnership will produce a key component that integrates both the display and optics into a monolithic display engine, with a goal of finally enabling sunglass styled video glasses.

MEMS and condition monitoring of industrial machinery

Condition monitoring refers to the process of monitoring data that is collected from sensory devices on industrial equipment.  By analyzing vibration, acoustic and ultrasonic emissions, temperature, pressure, oil condition, and other machine operating characteristics, factories and plants can prevent unexpected equipment breakdowns and more effectively schedule their maintenance activities, which ultimately improves the efficiency of operations and increases return on assets.  We recently spoke with Yuri Khazanov, President of InCheck Technologies, about his company's MEMS based solution for condition monitoring applications.

Micro cell membranes for faster and cheaper drug development

They may look and act like natural human cell membranes but the synthetic cell membranes invented by A*STAR's IMRE have more advantages.  IMRE's patented synthetic cell membranes can be made-to-order, are easier to maintain in a laboratory environment and do not require the lengthy preparation that comes with working on live cell membranes.  The synthetic cell membranes mimic the natural functions of cell membranes, such as interacting with drug molecules and antibodies, which is crucial in the drug discovery process.  The innovation also provides a more stable membrane model for a better understanding of the mechanisms of diseases that affect human cells.

Molecular diagnostics and microfluidics: market overview and opportunities

Dr. Greg Galvin is a successful veteran of the MEMS industry.  His first company was sold in 2000 to Calient Networks, an optical MEMS switching company in San Jose.  The transaction at the time was valued at ~$300 million in cash and stock.  Dr. Galvin's second company, Kionix, focuses on the design and fabrication of MEMS inertial sensing devices and was acquired in 2009 by ROHM Co., Ltd. for $233.5 million.  Now, Dr. Galvin has launched his third company, Rheonix, that concentrates on molecular diagnostics applications enabled by microfluidic technologies.  In this extensive interview, Dr. Galvin discusses opportunities in the molecular diagnostics market, current cost trends and technology developments, and shares the vision for his new company.

Valencell raises $5.5 million for health and fitness monitoring applications

Valencell, a startup company based in North Carolina that is focused on mobile health and fitness technologies, announced this week that that it has received $5.5 million in venture capital funding.  The round was led by Best Buy Capital, the investment group of Best Buy, with participation from previous investors TDF and True Ventures.  Valencell is the creator of powered earbuds which give audio headsets the ability to monitor the health and fitness of the user.  The company's sensor technology tracks real-time physiological metrics including heart rate, calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled, speed and more, while the consumer listens to music, talks over the phone, or goes about daily life activities.  Data is streamed to smartphones or music players through wired or wireless links, enabling live body metrics, training, and coaching via fitness applications on mobile devices and online.