What engineering requirement constitutes a significant barrier in developing reliable smart packaging sensors?

Integrating the developed sensor chemistry onto a flexible film or cardboard while maintaining shelf life and cost-effectiveness.

A critical difficulty identified in making smart sensors practical is the engineering hurdle associated with integrating lab-developed chemistry directly onto real-world packaging substrates. A sensor that performs perfectly in a sterile lab environment faces severe challenges when adapted for mass production onto materials like flexible films, cardboard boxes, or plastic containers. This integration process must maintain the sensor's functional integrity, ensure it remains stable throughout the product's required shelf life (often months or years), and crucially, it must be achieved in a cost-effective manner compatible with high-speed manufacturing processes. Failure to solve this material science integration puzzle means the initial chemical discovery remains confined to the laboratory rather than reaching commercial scale.