What if materials such as metal or plastic could feel what happens to them? Tiny built-in sensors now enable them to detect force and heat without changing how they function. The challenge now is manufacturing and scaling the technology for real-world use.
Modern sensing systems typically rely on relatively large electronic sensors attached to objects or embedded as separate components. But what if, instead of relying on separate sensors to measure quantities such as force, pressure or temperature, everyday materials themselves could be engineered to become ‘smart,’ with built-in sensing capabilities that allow them to seamlessly integrate with the structures and environments they monitor?
This is achieved using ultra-miniaturised sensing elements that can be additively manufactured directly onto existing product components. These elements operate at a much smaller scale while consuming significantly less power than traditional sensing systems. The novel sensors can detect force and temperature while operating at nanowatt-level power consumption, thanks to specially engineered high-resistivity materials.
Because the sensors are embedded into the material, its original mechanical properties remain unchanged. A metal part remains strong, while a plastic part remains flexible, but both can now also detect what is happening to them. For example, a metal beam can sense where it is being bent, while a surface can detect precisely where heat is increasing.
The technology is also designed to be practical for real-world use. It can be integrated using standard manufacturing methods and connected to existing electronic and IoT systems without requiring specialised infrastructure. It is also designed to minimise power consumption by transmitting only the most relevant information, reducing unnecessary data processing in remote and large-scale monitoring systems.
For example, in the automotive industry, some companies intend to use these embedded sensors for wheel and axle alignment and to measure vehicle weight distribution. Conventional systems rely on bulky equipment, whereas the embedded approach offers a smaller, more easily integrated alternative. In other applications, the sensors are used to check and calibrate force in diagnostic equipment, where highly accurate measurements are essential.
Different industries are adopting the technology for different reasons. In medical applications, development cycles are longer, but the long-term value is significant because of the need for extremely accurate and reliable measurements. In industrial sectors such as manufacturing and automotive, adoption is faster because companies can more quickly realise practical benefits and typically have shorter product development cycles.
Some large manufacturers are already integrating this technology into automotive components to make them sensitive to force, allowing the components to directly report the loads and stresses they experience.
| MEMS sensors vs Printed nano sensors | ||
| Aspect | MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) Sensors | Printed Nano Sensors |
| Fabrication method | Silicon-based microfabrication techniques | Additive manufacturing/printing techniques |
| Primary material | Silicon acts as both a structural and a sensing material | Nanomaterials, metals, or composite inks |
| Sensing mechanism | Often piezoresistive: doped silicon changes resistance under stress | Depends on engineered inks/materials designed for strain or force sensitivity |
| Structural role of material | The same silicon layer provides both structure and sensing | The transducer material can be freely chosen |
| Design approach | Performance tuned via microscale geometry (cantilevers, membranes, etc) | Performance tuned via material composition, low Young’s modulus materials and placement on surfaces |
| Sensitivity control | Strongly dependent on silicon properties and device geometry | More dependent on functional ink properties and strain localisation |
| Key limitation | Constrained by intrinsic silicon properties and fabrication limits | Material stability, consistency, and long-term reliability can be challenges |
| Key advantage | High precision, mature, and well-controlled manufacturing | High flexibility in materials and integration with diverse surfaces |
| Strain detection strategy | Distributed within engineered microstructures | Often localised at high-strain surface regions |
| Typical applications | Pressure sensors, inertial sensors, automotive and industrial sensing | Flexible electronics, bio-integrated devices, ultra-thin sensors |
Small sensors, big problems!
While nanotechnology has long promised smaller, more cost-effective, and energy-efficient sensors, most developments remain at the laboratory proof-of-concept stage rather than achieving full industrial-scale deployment. The transition from prototype to mass production is constrained by a combination of technical, economic, and organisational barriers. The main barriers to scaling can be summarised in four key areas:
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