Liquidity and Continued Operations	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
LIQUIDITY AND CONTINUED OPERATIONS [Abstract]
Liquidity and Continued Operations	LIQUIDITY AND CONTINUED OPERATIONS As of December 31, 2013, the Company had $3.3 million in cash and working capital of $1.2 million. As discussed in Note 2, the Company is in the development stage and is currently incurring significant losses from operations as it works toward commercialization. In May 2013, the Company completed the sale of 2,500,000 shares of common stock in a private placement for proceeds of $1.4 million. In August 2013, the Company completed the sale 750,000 shares of Series A preferred stock and warrants to purchase up to 2,625,000 shares of common stock in a private placement for gross proceeds of $6.0 million. In November 2013, the Company completed the sale of 500 shares of Series B preferred stock in a private placement for gross proceeds of $10.0 million, $5.0 million of which was received with the closing of the transaction in November 2013 and the remaining $5.0 million was received in February 2014. The Company has commenced production at its manufacturing facility. The Company does not expect sales revenue and cash flows will be sufficient to support operations and cash requirements until it has fully implemented its new consumer products strategy. Changes in the level of expected operating losses, the timing of planned capital expenditures or other factors may negatively impact cash flows and reduce current cash and investments faster than anticipated. During 2013 the Company used $20.3 million in cash for operations, or an average of $5.1 million per quarter. During the fourth quarter of 2013 the Company used $5.4 million in cash for operations. Absent any adjustments to expenses or significant additional financing, and without considering capital expenditures or significant increases in product sales at a positive margin, the Company's cash could be depleted during the second quarter 2014. In 2013, the Company expects to incur a base level of maintenance capital expenditures and relatively minor improvements to the existing asset base. The Company's primary significant long term obligation consists of a note payable of $6.4 million to a financial institution secured by a mortgage on its headquarters and manufacturing building in Thornton, Colorado. Total payments of $0.7 million, including principal and interest, will come due in 2014. Additional projected product revenues are not anticipated to result in a positive cash flow position for the year 2014 overall. As such, cash liquidity sufficient for the year ending December 31, 2014 will require additional financing. The Company continues to accelerate sales and marketing efforts related to its consumer products strategy through increased hiring and expansion of its sales channel. The Company has begun activities related to securing additional financing through strategic or financial investors, but there is no assurance the Company will be able to raise additional capital on acceptable terms or at all. If the Company's revenues do not increase rapidly, and/or additional financing is not obtained, the Company will be required to significantly curtail operations to reduce costs and/or sell assets. Such actions would likely have an adverse impact on the Company's future operations. As a result of the Company’s recurring losses from operations, and the potential need for additional financing to fund its operating and capital requirements, there is uncertainty regarding the Company’s ability to maintain liquidity sufficient to operate its business effectively, which raises substantial doubt as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. On March 19, 2014, the Company received notice from NASDAQ stating that, due to the Company's continued non-compliance with the minimum $1.00 bid price requirement for continued listing, the Company was subject to delisting from the NASDAQ Global Market tier, pending a timely request for a hearing or a successful transfer of listing to the NASDAQ Capital Market tier. On March 27, 2014, the Company received approval to transfer its listing to the NASDAQ Capital Market tier, effective with opening of the market on March 28, 2014. The Company's common stock will continue to trade under the symbol “ASTI”. The NASDAQ Capital Market is a continuous trading market that operates in substantially the same manner as the NASDAQ Global Market. Transfer of the Company's listing to the NASDAQ Capital Market resulted in an additional 180-day period within which to regain compliance with the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement, through September 15, 2014 (the "Compliance Date"). The Company intends to continue to monitor the bid price of its common stock. If the Company's common stock does not trade at a level that is likely to regain compliance with the NASDAQ requirements, the Company's Board of Directors may consider other options that may be available to achieve compliance. One option to regain compliance is a reverse stock split, however a reverse stock split could have negative implications. If at any time before the Compliance Date, the closing bid price of the Company's common stock is at least $1.00 per share for at least ten consecutive business days, the Company will regain compliance with the price requirement. There is no assurance that the Company can demonstrate compliance by the Compliance Date or comply with the terms of the extension granted by NASDAQ, and the Company's common stock may then be subject to delisting.

LIQUIDITY AND CONTINUED OPERATIONS

As of December 31, 2013, the Company had $3.3 million in cash and working capital of $1.2 million. As discussed in Note 2, the Company is in the development stage and is currently incurring significant losses from operations as it works toward commercialization. In May 2013, the Company completed the sale of 2,500,000 shares of common stock in a private placement for proceeds of $1.4 million. In August 2013, the Company completed the sale 750,000 shares of Series A preferred stock and warrants to purchase up to 2,625,000 shares of common stock in a private placement for gross proceeds of $6.0 million. In November 2013, the Company completed the sale of 500 shares of Series B preferred stock in a private placement for gross proceeds of $10.0 million, $5.0 million of which was received with the closing of the transaction in November 2013 and the remaining $5.0 million was received in February 2014.

The Company has commenced production at its manufacturing facility. The Company does not expect sales revenue and cash flows will be sufficient to support operations and cash requirements until it has fully implemented its new consumer products strategy. Changes in the level of expected operating losses, the timing of planned capital expenditures or other factors may negatively impact cash flows and reduce current cash and investments faster than anticipated. During 2013 the Company used $20.3 million in cash for operations, or an average of $5.1 million per quarter. During the fourth quarter of 2013 the Company used $5.4 million in cash for operations. Absent any adjustments to expenses or significant additional financing, and without considering capital expenditures or significant increases in product sales at a positive margin, the Company's cash could be depleted during the second quarter 2014. In 2013, the Company expects to incur a base level of maintenance capital expenditures and relatively minor improvements to the existing asset base. The Company's primary significant long term obligation consists of a note payable of $6.4 million to a financial institution secured by a mortgage on its headquarters and manufacturing building in Thornton, Colorado. Total payments of $0.7 million, including principal and interest, will come due in 2014. Additional projected product revenues are not anticipated to result in a positive cash flow position for the year 2014 overall. As such, cash liquidity sufficient for the year ending December 31, 2014 will require additional financing. The Company continues to accelerate sales and marketing efforts related to its consumer products strategy through increased hiring and expansion of its sales channel. The Company has begun activities related to securing additional financing through strategic or financial investors, but there is no assurance the Company will be able to raise additional capital on acceptable terms or at all. If the Company's revenues do not increase rapidly, and/or additional financing is not obtained, the Company will be required to significantly curtail operations to reduce costs and/or sell assets. Such actions would likely have an adverse impact on the Company's future operations.

As a result of the Company’s recurring losses from operations, and the potential need for additional financing to fund its operating and capital requirements, there is uncertainty regarding the Company’s ability to maintain liquidity sufficient to operate its business effectively, which raises substantial doubt as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

On March 19, 2014, the Company received notice from NASDAQ stating that, due to the Company's continued non-compliance with the minimum $1.00 bid price requirement for continued listing, the Company was subject to delisting from the NASDAQ Global Market tier, pending a timely request for a hearing or a successful transfer of listing to the NASDAQ Capital Market tier. On March 27, 2014, the Company received approval to transfer its listing to the NASDAQ Capital Market tier, effective with opening of the market on March 28, 2014. The Company's common stock will continue to trade under the symbol “ASTI”. The NASDAQ Capital Market is a continuous trading market that operates in substantially the same manner as the NASDAQ Global Market.

Transfer of the Company's listing to the NASDAQ Capital Market resulted in an additional 180-day period within which to regain compliance with the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement, through September 15, 2014 (the "Compliance Date"). The Company intends to continue to monitor the bid price of its common stock. If the Company's common stock does not trade at a level that is likely to regain compliance with the NASDAQ requirements, the Company's Board of Directors may consider other options that may be available to achieve compliance. One option to regain compliance is a reverse stock split, however a reverse stock split could have negative implications. If at any time before the Compliance Date, the closing bid price of the Company's common stock is at least $1.00 per share for at least ten consecutive business days, the Company will regain compliance with the price requirement. There is no assurance that the Company can demonstrate compliance by the Compliance Date or comply with the terms of the extension granted by NASDAQ, and the Company's common stock may then be subject to delisting.