Heat exchangers are used to improve the efficiency of heating and cooling systems in domestic and industrial applications and can be found in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC) equipment, as well as chemical, oil and gas, and power plants, among others. Depending on the device and application, different types of heat exchanges are used. For example, heat sinks in laptops prevent overheating, heat pumps keep refrigerators cool and heat pipes of different size and configurations are used from laptops to commercial centralised air-conditioning systems.

More than two billion people lack access to clean and safe drinking water. Factors like water scarcity, urbanisation and climate change also continue to add pressures on the demand for water which is expected to grow.

Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) are positioning technologies that identify and track the location of assets or people at any given time. These automated solutions reduce the need for manual tracking and make daily operations, such as inventory management and personnel tracking, more efficient. However, depending on the technologies deployed, there may be different requirements with regard to accuracy and range.

Enterprises around the world are progressively integrating automation and robotics in their processes. The same disruptive technologies are also developing and converging. One such growth trend is the combination of machine vision with robotics to add new capabilities and enable smart manufacturing.

One of the most common ways to harness solar energy is to install photovoltaic (PV) panels on residential or commercial building rooftops, or solar farms which can supply power on a larger scale. However, with limited land especially in dense urban cities, an alternative approach is to turn vertical building facades into solar producing panels, also known as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs).

Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a complicated process of removing large or complex kidney stones and typically carried out by senior surgeons. With the Percutaneous Access to Kidney Assist Device (PAKAD), an innovation developed by the team at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), the surgery is set to become simpler, safer and shorter. The device uses precision engineering mechanisms to align the needle with the target, ensuring higher accuracy and reducing the risk of surgery complications and recovery periods.

There is a growing demand for point-of-care testing or bedside testing in the last few decades. It provides convenience to the patient and quicker results to the healthcare providers for faster clinical management decisions. The challenge is to keep it affordable and accessible.

With increased recognition of the environmental impact and the potential loss in value of the by-products from aquatic wastes, such as frog and fish, which have been traditionally discarded, researchers are increasingly looking at how to recover biomaterials such as collagen and develop them into high value-added products for various applications in the medical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries.

Technology has opened new possibilities for fashion brands, enabling designers to incorporate new features in their apparel and accessories. Goodvine Pte Ltd (Goodvine), a local manufacturer of leather products marketed under the brand name Tocco Toscano, was interested to work with a Singapore-based technology partner to integrate wearable technologies into its new line of bags.

Molecular diagnostics is used to measure and detect the presence of genetic material associated with specific diseases, and applied as a tool by healthcare professionals and patients to improve clinical outcomes and medical decisions. Asia Genomics, a Singapore-based molecular diagnostics company specialising in clinical genomics in areas relating to genetic diseases was seeking to advance its in-house capabilities and know-how particularly in cancer diagnostics.