Stretchable Electronics

Although we do keep hearing about flexible wearable electronics, most such devices are still powered by rigid batteries that regularly need to be recharged. An experimental new battery, however, is soft, stretchable, and powered by human sweat.

Soft robots and flexible electronics aren't as protected as their rigid-shelled counterparts, so they're more likely to get ripped or punctured. A new stretchable, self-healing conductive material was designed with this limitation in mind.

Researchers from the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology have developed a wearable health-monitoring system that's attached to a user's wrist, and can stretch by as much as 30 percent without affecting display or monitoring performance.

Although some tantalizing research is currently underway, we're still waiting to see stretchable electronic displays reach production. Well, scientists have now created one that can not only be stretched, but that also self-heals when damaged.

Engineers from North Carolina State University have developed a thin, stretchable electronic wearable sleeve that allows the user's skin to breathe, making for more comfortable long-term use as a biomedical sensor or human-machine interface.

Stretchable electronics that could be integrated into clothing are usually expensive to produce. But researchers at Michigan State University have used a plain old inkjet printer to make stretchy circuits that could form the basis of smart fabrics, deformable tablets and electronic wallpaper.

Researchers from the University of Connecticut have created color and transparency changing materials that alter their properties in response to mechanical force. The team believes that these techniques may one day help create everything from smart windows to physical encryption devices.

Besides having tentacles, squid and octopi are also both known for their color-changing skin. Well, soft-bodied robots may soon also share that attribute, thanks to research being carried out at Cornell University.

Before things like touch-sensitive robot skin can become commonplace, we first need to develop robust and reliable flexible electronics. Researchers have taken a big step toward that goal, by developing circuits that remain functioning while being stretched by up to four times their original length.

​Before flexible electronic devices can become commonplace, there needs to be a practical way of manufacturing reliable stretchable circuitry. While some solutions are already in development, Panasonic recently announced one of its own – a flexible polymer resin film.​

We generally picture lasers as being encased within hard housings, much like most other electronics. Thanks to new research, however, we could soon see sensors or other devices that incorporate stretchable laser-emitting rubber.

By wrapping a rubber core in carbon nanotube sheets while stretched, scientists have been able to create a conducting fiber that stretches like an accordion. It could find application in exoskeleton limbs, morphing aircraft, and more.