Your smartphone could one day be replaced by an electronic display laminated to the back of your hand, if the inventors of a new ultrathin "e-skin" have their way. Japanese scientists have developed an electronic skin which is 3 micrometers thick and can be sticked on any part of the body.
University of Tokyo have developed a thin e-skin [electronic skin] that can be placed over skin on any part of the body. The e-skin is flexible and it won’t damage if we bend the area where it is placed on the body and it is 3 micrometers thick which is even 10 times thinner than the human skin.
E-skin is as thin and flexible as human skin, but past tests have shown it to be expensive and not last very long. However, the University of Tokyo has published a new study in Science Advances, detailing an organic polymer light-emitting diodes (PLED) that lasted for more than a week.
The e-skin displays utilizes polymer light emitting diodes [PLED] and organic photodetectors [OPD]. Earlier similar thin displays were developed but they weren’t durable to experience in air for about few hours.
The team behind this invention used a protective film that contains silicon oxy nitride and parylene [passivation layer] in order to protect display from air and water vapor.
‘Our e-skin can be directly laminated on the surface of the skin, allowing us to electronically functionalise human skin,’ said Takao Someya, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Tokyo. ‘We think that functionalising the skin may replace the smartphone in the future. When you carry an iPhone, it is a bulky device. But if you functionalise your own skin, you don’t need to carry anything, and it's easy to receive information anywhere, anytime.’
By employing materials and processes that are already used in the industrial production of OLED displays, Someya said the group's work should be able to transition smoothly to large-scale production.
E-skin might not be on the market before 2020, but in the past two years we’ve went from a few hours tops with limited functionality to a few days with sensors, lights, and touch functionality. That’s a good sign for developers and researchers looking to make e-skin the next wearable revolution.
University of Tokyo have developed a thin e-skin [electronic skin] that can be placed over skin on any part of the body. The e-skin is flexible and it won’t damage if we bend the area where it is placed on the body and it is 3 micrometers thick which is even 10 times thinner than the human skin.
E-skin is as thin and flexible as human skin, but past tests have shown it to be expensive and not last very long. However, the University of Tokyo has published a new study in Science Advances, detailing an organic polymer light-emitting diodes (PLED) that lasted for more than a week.
The e-skin displays utilizes polymer light emitting diodes [PLED] and organic photodetectors [OPD]. Earlier similar thin displays were developed but they weren’t durable to experience in air for about few hours.
The team behind this invention used a protective film that contains silicon oxy nitride and parylene [passivation layer] in order to protect display from air and water vapor.
‘Our e-skin can be directly laminated on the surface of the skin, allowing us to electronically functionalise human skin,’ said Takao Someya, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Tokyo. ‘We think that functionalising the skin may replace the smartphone in the future. When you carry an iPhone, it is a bulky device. But if you functionalise your own skin, you don’t need to carry anything, and it's easy to receive information anywhere, anytime.’
By employing materials and processes that are already used in the industrial production of OLED displays, Someya said the group's work should be able to transition smoothly to large-scale production.
E-skin might not be on the market before 2020, but in the past two years we’ve went from a few hours tops with limited functionality to a few days with sensors, lights, and touch functionality. That’s a good sign for developers and researchers looking to make e-skin the next wearable revolution.
Turns Your Hand into an Electronic Display With Ultrathin E-skin
Reviewed by Tech Ugly
on
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Rating:
Reviewed by Tech Ugly
on
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Rating:
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