Toshiba has begun construction of a vegetable plant factory at a facility in Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture. The production management system will be based on that utilised for semiconductor device production. [ + ]

Researchers have developed electronic devices that become soft when implanted inside the body and can deploy to grip 3D objects, such as large tissues, nerves and blood vessels. [ + ]

US researchers have demonstrated a new approach that could enable a new generation of fast, robust electronic and photonic devices. [ + ]

element14 has added to its portfolio of tape and reel discretes for electronics design and production over 1000 transistors, MOSFETs and diodes from suppliers such as Fairchild, NXP, ON Semiconductor and Vishay. [ + ]

Mouser Electronics has received the 2013 Catalog Global Distributor of the Year Award from TE Connectivity. This annual Electronic Distributor Award was presented to Mouser executives at TE's recent Global Distribution Summit in Los Angeles, CA. [ + ]

RS Components has signed a global distribution agreement with PR electronics, a manufacturer of signal conditioning solutions for factory automation and process industries. [ + ]

Scientists have developed a new device that's said to be far thinner than paper, can flex and bend, and can store enough energy to provide critical backup power for portable electronics.  [ + ]

element14 has selected 10 finalists in the Inductive Sensing Challenge, a global design competition using Texas Instruments' LDC1000 inductance-to-digital converter. [ + ]

The HEARing Cooperative Research Centre (HEARing CRC) has conducted a proof of concept that has shown it is viable to create a self-fitting hearing aid with existing technology. [ + ]

Australian-listed electronics design software company Altium has announced that it intends to relocate the management of its PCB CAD division and its core research and development team from Shanghai, China, to San Diego, USA. [ + ]

A new technique developed by MIT researchers is said to reduce the number of sensors required for terahertz or millimetre-wave imaging by a factor of 10, or even 100. The technique could also have implications for the design of new, high-resolution radar and sonar systems. [ + ]

A team of researchers at Monash University's Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering (ECSE) is investigating a new version of 'spaser' technology that could make phones so small, efficient and flexible they could be printed on clothing. [ + ]

As the wearable electronics business powers from over $14bn in 2014 to over $70bn in 2024, the healthcare sector, which merges medical, fitness and wellness, will remain a dominant sector. [ + ]

The power electronics market is set to grow to $36.86bn in 2020, from $21.66bn in 2014, according to research firm MarketsandMarkets (M&M). [ + ]

Latest findings by University of Oxford researchers reveal that the lead in perovskite solar cells can be replaced with tin. [ + ]