Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups working on solutions for the engineering sector. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we decided to share our insights with you. This time, we are taking a look at 4 promising metamaterials startups.
Heat Map: 4 Top Metamaterials Startups
For our 4 top picks, we used a data-driven startup scouting approach to identify the most relevant solutions globally. The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 4 interesting examples out of 60 relevant solutions. Depending on your specific needs, your top picks might look entirely different.
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Metaboards – Wireless Charging
Wireless charging rapidly becomes a feature in most wireless devices and soon will overtake traditional charging methods. The current limit of this technology is the charging surface allowing only a single device to be charged, combined with specific positioning challenges. Startups are using metamaterials to build wireless chargers that are removing these challenges.
British startup Metaboards is a developer and manufacturer of ubiquitous wireless charging surfaces based on metamaterials. Their proprietary solution allows charging multiple devices with controllable power across the full charging surface, all without requiring any special positioning or arrangement of devices.
Radi-Cool – Thermal Conductivity
All objects or surfaces that are subjected to heat require special design considerations to reduce or control the effects of continuous exposure to heat. This results in technologically complex and expensive solutions for automotive manufacturers or civil engineers. Using metamaterials, which are highly energy efficient in passive cooling, producers create novel opportunities and solutions to tackle issues related to heat management.
The US-based startup Radi-Cool develops scalable engineered metamaterials in the form of thin films that passively cool objects. When applied to a surface, the metamaterial film cools the object underneath by efficiently reflecting incoming solar energy back into space while simultaneously allowing the surface to shed its own heat in the form of infrared thermal radiation. Their solution does not require any water or electricity consumption.
Phononic Vibes – Vibration & Noise Isolation
Vibrations typically cause structural degradation to occur over time, especially in the transportation and heavy industries, where components or structures become subject to high and frequent stress. That is why companies are looking towards metamaterials to assist in reducing the effect of noise and vibrations.
Italian startup Phononic Vibes develops a patented technology that uses metamaterials to reduce the effects of vibration and noise. Their technology aims at providing a better cost-to-performance ratio compared to other existing vibration & noise isolation materials.
Multiwave Imaging – Medical Imaging
Magnetic fields are the heart of medical imaging devices, like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans, that are expensive to conduct due to technical intricacies and safety standards. Medical equipment manufacturers use the unique magnetic properties of metamaterials to produce more cost-efficient devices that have no impact on the design or safety of using such technology.
Swiss startup Multiwave Imaging is a research and development specialist in medical imaging technology and equipment. Their solution in metamaterials and magnetic coil design aims to improve the efficiency of MRI machines without any risk to the safety of patients being scanned.
What About The Other 56 Solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence for your Proof of Concept (PoC), partnership, or investment targets. The 4 startups showcased above are promising examples out of 60 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria and collaboration strategy, get in touch.
