Opening the door for a generation of flexible electronic devices, the world's first "completely integrated, extremely bendable circuits" were developed and demonstrated by a research team led by John Rogers of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The flexible stretchy silicon circuits could be used to build advanced brain implants, health monitors or smart clothing.
Roger's team is developing stretchable electronics that lie on the surface of the brain to monitor patients suffering from epilepsy. Another possible application they are considering is to incorporate sensors and electronics into surgical gloves to provide the surgeon with additional information during an operation.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Stretchy Electronics
- Stretchable silicon circuits open up opportunities for advanced brain implants, health monitors, and smart clothing.
- Flexible Devices
- The development of bendable circuits paves the way for a generation of flexible electronic devices.
- Integration and Flexibility
- Completely integrated and extremely bendable circuits enable the seamless incorporation of sensors and electronics into various applications.
Where This Applies
- Healthcare
- Stretchy electronics offer disruptive opportunities for the development of advanced brain implants and health monitoring devices.
- Fashion
- The advent of flexible devices creates innovation prospects for the integration of electronics into smart clothing.
- Medical Technology
- The seamless integration of sensors and electronics in stretchy electronics has the potential to revolutionize surgical gloves and enhance surgical procedures.
