Project

The emitter is the core of the BRIGHTIR technology. 4K-MEMS is developing a thermal infrared emitter chip designed to be compact, efficient, and compatible with high-volume manufacturing processes.

Today’s infrared light sources face significant limitations in size, cost, and integration, which have restricted their use largely to specialized laboratory instruments and high-end industrial systems. BRIGHTIR aims to overcome these constraints by creating a scalable emitter component that can be realistically integrated into portable, low-cost sensing devices, opening the way to broader deployment of IR-based measurement technologies.

Beyond the light source itself, BRIGHTIR is integrating its IR emitter into complete sensing systems. By building and testing sensor prototypes in relevant models, starting with cell culture and skin phantoms, the project validates performance beyond the device level and identifies the practical requirements for future applications.

These prototype studies are an important step toward BRIGHTIR’s long-term vision: enabling compact, high-performance IR sensing platforms for non-invasive metabolic sensing.

A single emitter technology can support multiple sensing configurations depending on the target application. BRIGHTIR explores variants of the core sensor design to address distinct use cases across environmental monitoring and health-related measurements. This work helps define which adaptations are technically feasible and where the clearest opportunities for deployment exist.

As a first concrete test, the sensor will be validated for lactate monitoring in sports performance applications. This trial will be conducted by the University of Trento (UNITN), providing an initial real-world benchmark for the technology.