Researchers from Japan have developed a way to include an unobtrusive edible tag embedded inside food—in their original experiments, cookies—that can be read without having to first destroy the food. Another major advantage of their method, known as "interiqr," is that the tag doesn't change the outer appearance or taste of the food at all.

Two of the nine new rules stand out, given the scale of both the short-term and long-term impact that they will cause. IDTechEx assesses the impact of these changes.

Sensor laden wearable systems hold great promise for wide range of applications including health monitoring, rehabilitation, electronic skin in robotics, environment monitoring, Internet of Things etc. Often these applications, require cost-effective disposable sensors either for short-term or for single measurements. Single use sensors in wearables could also help overcome the typical challenges related to washability.

IDTechEx finds that demand for polymer materials by mass far exceeds that of metal materials for 3D printing. IDTechEx finds that polymer 3D printing is moving beyond prototyping to high-value adoption by end-users, which will propel its growth to US$21.1 billion in 2033.