[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAwFVDdfs04[/youtube]
Forget smartwatches. A super-thin electronic skin can turn the back of your hand into a digital display.
Similar e-skins have been made before, but at just 3 micrometres thick this is the thinnest yet. It is also more durable. Made by Takao Someya at the University of Tokyo and his team, the e-skin can be laid over actual skin anywhere on the body. Looking like a layer of plastic food wrap, it is flexible enough not to break when you move.
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The display also works for longer than other devices, using LEDs that last for several days. The bright display works with less power than existing e-skins.
Connected up to sensors on the body, the e-skin has been used to display a person鈥檚 pulse and blood oxygen concentration on their hand. This could be used by people in hospital, for example聽鈥� or athletes while they are training. But Someya sees a wider range of uses. 鈥淎 worker will be able to have building plans or an electrical diagram displayed on their skin without carrying heavy devices,鈥� he says.
The device uses a seven-segment LED to display a single digit or letter (see video). The team is now working on a display that can show far more information. Super-thin plastic sheets could replace smartphones, says Someya.
Journal reference:
This article will appear in print under the headline 鈥淓lectronic skin turns you into a聽digital display鈥�
