Taking on COVID-19 is a global task, with technologies being developed and re-imagined. In China, the government emphasized the constant temperature monitoring of its citizens. That requires a new approach, and Enfucell OY has proved itself up to the challenge.
Founded in 2002, Enfucell is headquartered in Vantaa, Finland, where it also has test production facilities and support functions. The company began as a spin-off from Helsinki University of Technology (HUT), and active operations commenced in 2005. At the beginning of 2018, Jiangsu Enfucell Flexible Electronics Co., Ltd. acquired Enfucell Finland.
“This acquisition has resulted in the internationalization of Enfucell brand, the integration of operations, and the centralization of industrial resources,” noted Hongyan Ning, sales and marketing manager for Enfucell Oy.
The core technology of Enfucell is printed battery technology. Manufactured by screen printing, it’s as thin as paper, and goes under the trade name SoftBattery.
“We develop, design and produce SoftBatteries and SoftBattery material,” Ning said. “Its customer applications are in wearable devices, healthcare and cosmetics, IoT devices, intelligent packaging, etc. We do customization SoftBattery solution upon customer requirements.
“In recent years, Enfucell dedicated to the development of applications using SoftBattery and made great achievements,” added Ning. “The Wearable Temperature Tag is one of them. Enfucell wearable temperature tag is based on a combined technology of NFC, intelligent temperature sensor and printed batteries.”
The wearable temperature tag can measure and record the body temperature of the target group in real-time. All the data is integrated and uploaded to the cloud platform, which realizes accurate monitoring and analysis. At the same time, the unique code UID of the tag corresponded with each people will be scanned and recognized via mobile phone. So, with the help of big data and cloud computing, temperature monitoring and location management are dually implemented.
China and Monitoring COVID-19
Ning pointed out that the wearable temperature tag has drawn interest from many countries around the world, including the US, UK, Japan, Turkey and Belgium. In particular, the wearable temperature tag has helped medical personnel in China during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In hospitals and some communities in China, patients or people under quarantine were using the tag for recording their temperature,” said Ning. “Data were sent remotely to a cloud platform for analysis. By using the tags, medical personnel does not need to measure the temperature regularly with direct contact.”
Cold chain is another opportunity. The wearable temperature tag is calibrated under the hu-man body temperature. For cold chain logistics, Enfucell has RFID tags available.
“It is based on a combined technology of UHF and HF, intelligent temperature sensor and printed paper batteries,” Ning said. “In the case of RFID temperature tags, it’s applicable for cold chain logistics management of temperature-sensitive products such as pharmaceutical products, perishable foods and flowers, etc.
“It honestly records the time and temperature data of products during transportation and storage,” added Ning. “Everyone who has concerns about quality and profit issues of the temperature-sensitive products, including manufacturers, distributors, logistics providers, government and even consumers, can now be a part of cold chain logistics management through the simplified reading and tracking system of Enfucell RFID temperature tags.”