Graphene Experience @ MWC
Graphene makes a hit at the World's largest Mobile Event.
March 08, 2016
The Graphene Pavilion at Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona (22-25 February) has proven that graphene will have a say in the future of mobile. As John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd., stated “The graphene pavilion was a first for Mobile World Congress and attendees embraced the innovation it showcased. We look forward to a continued collaboration with the graphene community, the graphene flagship and ICFO, and thank them for their efforts in coordinating the pavilion and opening a new vision for the future of the mobile ecosystem.”
Just 12 years after graphene was first isolated in the labs at Manchester University, graphene is venturing out of the laboratory and into conceivable applications. For frontier research, these advances are coming at break-neck speed. The enthusiastic reception that graphene received at MWC is a strong indicator of just how far this material has come in this short time, as well as how far we can expect it to go in the near future.
Nearly 101,000 mobile industry professionals converged in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress to witness the launch of new products and applications, and also to scout out new commercial trends and evaluate market niches for innovative products, services and applications that could inspire new technologies. During these four days of non-stop activity, the Graphene Pavilion featured 12 companies and 12 research centers showcasing graphene-based prototypes, demos and applications to a continuous stream of visitors, press and companies interested in seeing graphene at work in operational prototypes.
Coordinated by ICFO and the European Graphene Flagship, with the support of the GSMA, the Graphene Pavilion embraced five technological and innovative fields within the mobile world: display technologies, wearables; Internet of Things; energy transmission and storage; and data communications. These research centers and companies included:
Aixtron, AMO-GmbH, Avanzare, BeDimensional, BGTmaterials, Catalan Institute of NanoScience and Nanotechnology - ICN2, Centre Nacional de Microelectrònica-CNM, Chalmers University of Technology, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, FlexEnable, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Gnext, Graphenea, Haydale, ICFO - The Institute of Photonic Sciences, Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer- IDIBAPS, Institute of Electronic Materials Technology – ITME, Italian Institute of Technology –IIT, Novalia, Nvision, Pi and Bi, The University of Manchester, University of Cambridge, Zap&Go.
ICFO’s leadership in this event is a reflection of the emphasis the center places on Knowledge and Technology Transfer (KTT). Dr Silvia Carrasco, Director of the KTT unit at ICFO explains that “it is exciting to witness and facilitate such high potential connections between research and the mobile industry. This week we have seen firsthand opportunity for innovation for everyone involved.”
When asked if graphene research has reached a tipping point, where it will make its long-anticipated move into products available to the average consumer, ICREA Prof. at ICFO Frank Koppens responded “We now have working prototypes which is a huge step. Whether this will ‘tip’ or not depends on industry joining us for the integration into real products and further pursuing economical ways of mass producing these products. From what we have seen at MWC, industry may now be ready to take this important step”.
In addition, Nobel Laureate Prof Kostya Novoselov, who delivered a presentation at MWC as part of the conference’s “Mobile is Innovation” keynote session, stated that “We are now part of this industry…It is very exciting for a scientist to go from doing experiments and writing papers to doing real-world applications and showcasing them in such a big gathering”.
Just 12 years after graphene was first isolated in the labs at Manchester University, graphene is venturing out of the laboratory and into conceivable applications. For frontier research, these advances are coming at break-neck speed. The enthusiastic reception that graphene received at MWC is a strong indicator of just how far this material has come in this short time, as well as how far we can expect it to go in the near future.
Nearly 101,000 mobile industry professionals converged in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress to witness the launch of new products and applications, and also to scout out new commercial trends and evaluate market niches for innovative products, services and applications that could inspire new technologies. During these four days of non-stop activity, the Graphene Pavilion featured 12 companies and 12 research centers showcasing graphene-based prototypes, demos and applications to a continuous stream of visitors, press and companies interested in seeing graphene at work in operational prototypes.
Coordinated by ICFO and the European Graphene Flagship, with the support of the GSMA, the Graphene Pavilion embraced five technological and innovative fields within the mobile world: display technologies, wearables; Internet of Things; energy transmission and storage; and data communications. These research centers and companies included:
Aixtron, AMO-GmbH, Avanzare, BeDimensional, BGTmaterials, Catalan Institute of NanoScience and Nanotechnology - ICN2, Centre Nacional de Microelectrònica-CNM, Chalmers University of Technology, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, FlexEnable, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Gnext, Graphenea, Haydale, ICFO - The Institute of Photonic Sciences, Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer- IDIBAPS, Institute of Electronic Materials Technology – ITME, Italian Institute of Technology –IIT, Novalia, Nvision, Pi and Bi, The University of Manchester, University of Cambridge, Zap&Go.
ICFO’s leadership in this event is a reflection of the emphasis the center places on Knowledge and Technology Transfer (KTT). Dr Silvia Carrasco, Director of the KTT unit at ICFO explains that “it is exciting to witness and facilitate such high potential connections between research and the mobile industry. This week we have seen firsthand opportunity for innovation for everyone involved.”
When asked if graphene research has reached a tipping point, where it will make its long-anticipated move into products available to the average consumer, ICREA Prof. at ICFO Frank Koppens responded “We now have working prototypes which is a huge step. Whether this will ‘tip’ or not depends on industry joining us for the integration into real products and further pursuing economical ways of mass producing these products. From what we have seen at MWC, industry may now be ready to take this important step”.
In addition, Nobel Laureate Prof Kostya Novoselov, who delivered a presentation at MWC as part of the conference’s “Mobile is Innovation” keynote session, stated that “We are now part of this industry…It is very exciting for a scientist to go from doing experiments and writing papers to doing real-world applications and showcasing them in such a big gathering”.