A significant driver of the mass adoption of electronics over the last two decades has been the ready availability of low cost, easy to use prototyping boards that can be easily customizable to the needs of the user without requiring them to build a complete design. Microcontroller modules have already shown that they facilitate the development and rapid deployment of novel sensing platforms customized by the end user at a low cost.
The additive nature of Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) lends itself to enable further customization of IOT devices. NextFlex has been developing a line of Flexible Microcontroller Devices with the goal of facilitating customization. The latest FHE devices incorporate a fully functional ARM microcontroller and BLE radio, onboard accelerometer, RGB LED and edge connectors supporting the integration of additional sensing and power modules. Designed to support prototyping and configurability, the Flexible Microcontroller design is becoming a useful tool in the toolbox for NextFlex and its partners. In this presentation we provide insight into the design and manufacturing process and share demonstrator examples for IOT applications such as remote control and sensing, asset- and structural monitoring.