Stretchable electronic skin will open the doors to a whole new world of interactive devices. The material developed at the Nokia Research Centre in Cambridge, UK uses evaporated gold as a conductor to create an electronic touch interface, which it says can be “stretched like a rubber bandâ€. In the future the material could be used for wearable devices or integrated into clothing.
The mobile phone giant revealed on its blog, Nokia Conversations, that the research centre is in the process of developing a technology that means circuit boards no longer have to be solid. Instead they say that production of a flexible, stretchable material, that responds to touch and pressure, is possible.
Nokia’s official blog says the team has tested the material to the point where it can stretch by up to 20 per cent of its original length without a drop in performance.
“This research has at its heart new form factors for devices of the future,” claims the post. “[It could create] completely different ways of us interacting with technology in the future. What is solid and known to us right now, could be flexible and entirely different in the future.”
Nokia established its Cambridge research centre in 2007 as a partnership with the University of Cambridge. The centre’s 25-strong team is led by Dr Tapani Ryhänen and their research has a strong focus on nanotechnology.
[via Nokia Conversations]