A New Active Organic Component for Flexible Ammonia Gas Sensors

The objective of this study was to realize flexible gas sensors using low cost solution processing such as drop casting. As active sensor material, a p-type organic semiconductor, αα-ωω-hexyl-distyrylbithiophene (DH-DS2T), was used. DH-DS2T based transistors exhibit high mobility together with a good air stability. As a chemical compound, DH- DS2T presents a good solubility in common organic solvent, which means thin films could also processed by solution fabrication. Sensor responses were studied by measuring the current through the semiconductor organic film as an ammonia gas concentration function (NH3: 25, 50, and 100 ppm). We demonstrate here that DH-DS2T has efficient sensor responses and leads to an efficient fully solution processed gas sensor on flexible substrate

Developing technology for autism:an interdisciplinary approach

We present an interdisciplinary methodology for designing interactive multi-modal technology for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). In line with many other researchers in the field, we believe that the key to developing technology in this context is to embrace perspectives from diverse disciplines to arrive at a methodology that delivers satisfactory outcomes for all stakeholders. The ECHOES project provided us with the opportunity to develop a technology-enhanced learning (TEL) environment that facilitates acquisition and exploration of social skills by typically developing (TD) children and children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). ECHOES’ methodology and the learning environment rely crucially on multi-disciplinary expertise including developmental psychology, visual arts, human–computer interaction, artificial intelligence, education, and several other cognate disciplines. In this article, we reflect on the methods needed to develop a TEL environment for young users with ASDs by identifying key features, benefits, and challenges of this approach