Twenty partners across Europe are developing plastic circuits that could replace radio devices

Twenty partners across Europe are developing plastic circuits that could replace radio devices

A pan-European research project is aiming to slash the cost of “intelligent packaging”. PolyApply brings together 20 partners, including semi-conductor manufacturers, research institutes and small companies, to develop plastic electronic circuits.

The circuits will form the basis of radio frequency identification devices that should one day be vastly cheaper than today’s silicon-based devices. This will allow RFIDs to be used more widely than they are today – possibly replacing barcodes completely.

UK company Plastic Logic is one of the key partners, due to its knowledge of plastic-based logic chips. The E24m project will run until 2007. By this time, the partners hope to have developed a working prototype that can then be developed further. Half of the funding is supplied by the EC’s Framework programme.