A consortium of top tech companies, laboratories, and universities in the world are working with the Department of Defense to create better flexible electronics.
The consortium, AKA the FlexTech Alliance, will be given $75 million over five years to work with, in addition to another $96 million from universities, non-profits, and state and local governments.
Apple, Boeing, GE, GM, Lockheed Martin, Motorola Mobility, Qualcomm, Cornell, Harvard, Stanford, NYU, and MIT are just a few involved in the endeavor looking to improve the manufacturing of flexible electronics.
Potential applications for flexible electronics include aircraft, health monitors, military tools, and wearable technology, among other things.
A bidding process will determine exactly how the funds are allocated, but the main goal above all else is reducing the size, weight, and cost of electronics, while establishing a manufacturing network for flexible electronics at the same time.
FlexTech will essentially create what’s being called a “Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Flexible Hybrid Electronics,” which will be headquartered in San Jose.
Hopefully all the money and effort going into this initiative will pay off in the long run.
