Scientists have created "electronic foils" that will allow circuits to conform to any surface
by JOSEPH BENNINGTON-CASTRO
Scientists have created "electronic foils" that will allow circuits to conform to any surface — or get stretched, bent, and crumpled. The electronics may someday become as common as plastic wrap, researchers say.
In recent years, we've seen a number of breakthroughs in softer, flexible electronics. Much of the work is spearheaded by the uber-productive John Rogers, a materials scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A few months ago, Rogers and his colleagues developed stretchy, bendable batteries to power a new generation of flexible displays, solar panels and other devices.
Before that, Rogers helped create the "epidermal electronic system" — a type of small, pliable electronic circuit that can be applied to the skin in a similar manner as the application of a temporary tattoo — and transient electronics that dissolve in the body.
"Rogers' work is really great," says Martin Kaltenbrunner, an engineer at the University of Tokyo. But to expand the applications of flexible electronics even more, Kaltenbrunner and his colleagues decided to design bendy circuits that can be cheaply fabricated over a large area. The electronics, the researchers reasoned, would also have to be super thin. "You cannot really wrap current flexible electronics around anything, but if they were really thin, they could even go into the wrinkles of your skin."
Enter electronic foils.
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http://io9.com/this-substance-will-let-you-turn-your-skin-into-a-compu-890113662
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