AIJU and AIMPLAS to introduce flexible electronics in the toy industry
Plastic electronic printing or plastronics, a research line focused on the integration of flexible electronics in plastic materials, offers countless innovation possibilities in product development that can be applied in different areas, such as the toy, energy, packaging and automotive sectors.
One of these applications is the integration of pressure-sensitive sensors in toys. In this context, AIJU, the Technological research institute for Children Products and Leisure, works in the integration of toy demonstrator devices, and AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, in the development of the devices. They are working together in the second year of the project FLEXSENS, which has been funded by the Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness (IVACE).
During the first year of project, 2017, they worked in the study of materials and their compatibility, thus addressing the development of the first functionally printed prototypes, whilst during this second year, they are working in the development of more advanced sensors and their final integration in demonstrators.
This second year of the project has been recently approved by IVACE, with a grant of EUR 170,189.76 and cofounded by EU ERDF funds within the ERDF Operational Programme for the Valencian Community 2014-2020 and it has the aim of obtaining different prototypes demonstrating the technology that will be used as a basis for the SMEs involved in the future exploitation of results.
About AIJU
The technological research institute for Children Products and Leisure (AIJU) was established in June 1985 in Ibi (Spain). Currently, more than 586 companies from different sectors are associated with it, of which 50 % belong to the children sector. The rest of companies belong to different sectors: consumer products, electricity, automotive, plastics processing and moulds and matrices, among others.
AIJU offers currently services in the areas of New technologies and Tests, Innovation and Sustainability, Children’s goods, Product development, ICT and Training.