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Electronics For You
January 2026 Issue
Vol. 58 No. 1
Technology
TRENDS: Are You Ready For 2026?
A sneak peek into the coming year’s tech trends can help you spot the opportunities and threats, and plan for success. The forecasts are rolling out, and 2026 looks set to be another year headlined by AI. However, it is also clear that AI cannot continue its run without more processing power, reliable telecommunication, sustainability initiatives, renewable energy, and other supporting enablers. As a result, we are also going to see every tech sector upping its game in the coming year. Here is our take on the likely technology trends of 2026, based on research reports from trusted sources like Gartner, McKinsey, and Deloitte, alongside expert opinions shared through EFY magazine and industry conferences.
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Technology
INNOVATORS: Wi‑Fi Can Track Your Heart Rate Without Any Wearables
No wristbands, no patches, no gadgets—just Wi-Fi. Find out how your heartbeat can be tracked invisibly using signals already in your home.
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MANUFACTURING: Why ‘Modern ICs Fail ‘Silently’ And Solution To The Problem
When failure margins shrink to a few volts, ioniser performance reveals why ESD risks go unnoticed and how they can be addressed. |
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Technology
INNOVATION: How RFID And EAS Are Turning T-Shirts Into Smart Tools
As retail grows more complex, intelligence is moving into the products themselves. RFID- and EAS-enabled T-shirts redefine how stores track inventory, prevent loss, and streamline daily operations.
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TRENDS: Inside The Race To Build Quantum-Secure Networks
If quantum communication becomes mainstream, our entire approach to digital security could change. | | |
Technology
INTERVIEW: “This Isn’t Chatbot AI. It Is AI For Sensor Data From Space.” — Vishesh Vatsal, Co-Founder And CTO, SkyServe
AI is making satellites smarter. But how does this benefit humanity on Earth, and what problems can it solve? In a conversation with Nidhi Agarwal of EFY, Vishesh Vatsal from SkyServe explains how AI operates in orbit—and why it matters.
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INTERVIEW: DigiKey’s India Bet: CEO Dave Doherty On Talent, Logistics, And The Long Tail — Dave Doherty, CEO, DigiKey
DigiKey CEO Dave Doherty joined EFY’s senior journalist Dilin Anand in Bengaluru to unpack the company’s India strategy, why India has become a top-priority engineering market, how a single mega-warehouse delivers speed at scale, and what the ‘long tail’ really means for electronics and embedded teams. The conversation also explores how DigiKey is empowering India’s engineers, strengthening supply chains, and reshaping component sourcing and engineering education. | | |
Business
PURCHASE: Buyers’ Guide: Leading Suppliers Of SMT Solder Paste Inspection (SPI)
Who are India’s leading suppliers of Solder Paste Inspection (SPI) machines? Here is the list…
| Semicon
INTERVIEW: “It’s A Misconception That Startups Universally Pay Less.” — Shashwath T.R., Co-Founder And CEO, Mindgrove Technologies
For key roles and skill sets, compensation at startups often matches or even exceeds corporate standards, says Shashwath T.R. of Mindgrove Technologies in conversation with Akanksha S. Gaur. How is that possible? What makes startups more appealing to professionals than corporates? And what kind of skills do they value most? The answers lie in this insightful discussion. | | |
Semicon
INTERVIEW: “Anyone With A Product Idea Can Come To Us; We Can Design Both The Chip And The Complete Product Around It” — Srini Chinamilli, CEO, Tessolve
How is India powering the next generation of AI chips? What does it take to design high-compute, high-power semiconductors from scratch? To answer these questions, EFY’s Vidushi spoke with Srini Chinamilli and explored how Tessolve is shaping the future of chip design in India.
| Design
CIRCUIT: 5 Interesting Reference Designs For Robotics
Looking to build robots without starting from scratch? These ready-made reference designs illustrate how to make robots work faster and smarter. | | |
Design
PATENTS: Why Automotive Innovation Now Begins With IP
Both incremental tweaks and breakthrough leaps need protection. As electrification and connected vehicles reshape the automotive world, mastering IP strategy has become essential for inventors, engineers, and mobility builders.
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MANUFACTURING: From Design To Manufacture: A Practical Guide To Faster Product Development
Fast product development is rarely about rushing fabrication; it is about making smarter design choices early, so prototypes behave like final products. | | |
Do-It-Yourself
PROJECT: Electronic Voting System With Real-Time Authentication And Keypad
The system offers a secure, efficient, and practical biometric voting approach by combining fingerprint authentication with keypad-based candidate selection.
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PROJECT: Density-Based Traffic Light Controller
Efficient traffic management in urban areas remains a significant challenge as vehicle density grows and infrastructure struggles to keep pace. Conventional traffic lights rely on fixed timers, which often result in unnecessary delays and congestion during low-traffic periods. To address this, an intelligent traffic signal control system has been developed using low-cost, readily available components, including Arduino Uno and Arduino Nano boards and HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensors. | | |
Do-It-Yourself
PROJECT: Infinity Energy: The Future Of Self-Powered IoT
Power remains the quiet obstacle slowing the global expansion of wearable and IoT devices. Despite rapid technological progress, these devices continue to depend on batteries that fail, leak, or require replacement, ultimately adding to e-waste within a few years. Thankfully, the idea of everyday devices such as TV remotes, fitness bands, smart switches, sensors, or even medical patches operating indefinitely without a battery is becoming increasingly feasible.
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PROJECT: Hybrid Smart Grid
This system integrates traditional AC grids with DC systems, such as solar panels, batteries, and EV chargers, and coordinates them through software, automation, and cloud platforms. In a conventional electrical grid, electricity flows from power generation stations to consumers, and when generation and consumption remain balanced, the grid operates efficiently. | | |
Do-It-Yourself
CIRCUIT IDEA: Simple Overflow Stopper For Water Tanks
Even though water covers two-thirds of the Earth’s surface, less than 1% of it is fresh and easily accessible for human use. Preventing unnecessary wastage of this limited resource is therefore essential. Several methods are currently employed to address this concern, and one effective approach is to use an electronic or electrical system to prevent storage water tanks from overflowing. This also helps conserve electrical energy by ensuring the pump motor runs only long enough to fill the tank with the correct volume of water.
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PROJECT: Multifunction Human Detection And Weather Monitoring System
A human detection system was designed earlier to utilise the microwave Doppler effect to detect human movement and trigger AC appliances such as light bulbs and other electrical loads up to 1A. The design incorporated a solder jumper pad for mode selection, enabling the same PCB to be configured for IoT compatibility by integrating IoT functionality into the radar switch. This configuration supports real-time radar data monitoring, alert reception, and wireless control of lights over a Wi-Fi network. | | |
Regulars
Dashboard
Key Industry Trends That Can Shape The Future Of Your Business
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Innovators & Startups
• A Bengaluru-Based Deep-Tech Startup Kills Germs In Mid-Air
• What If Batteries Could Be Made From Farm Waste?
• A Full Diagonistic Lab That Easily Fits Your Pocket | | |
Regulars
Truly Innovative Electronics
Amongst numerous press releases of new products received by us, these are the ones we found worthy of the title Truly Innovative Electronics.
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New Products
• Components
• Embedded
• Manufacturing Equipment & Materials
• Test & Measurement
• Moves | | |
Regulars
Research & Innovation Updates
• AI motion control enables robots to adapt to diverse inputs
• Circuits on shrinkable films produce retrofit smart tech
• Tactile sensing lets quadruped robots carry shifting loads
• Fully stretchable OLED displays for curved, soft, and moving surfaces
• Batteries that last longer and charge safer
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Industry News: Industry Updates
• Union Cabinet sanctions Rs 72.8 billion for rare earth magnet manufacturing
• Andhra Pradesh clears Rs 1 trillion investment bet on chips and quantum tech
• Nokia commits $4 billion to expand US operations
• India’s new 40nm chip signals a major leap for smart meter technology
• Ford and SK On to unwind $11.4 billion battery venture in the US | | |
Regulars
Electroons 2.0
Some Stunning Cartoons!
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