Chinese scientists give next-gen wearables a boost

 01-Mar-16, South China Morning Post

Chinese scientists have built an “invisible” circuit in a layer of material used to make contact lenses for the first time, a technological breakthrough that could spur the development of new wearable devices.

Image: YouTube

The research team led by Professor Song Yanlin created the electrical circuit inside dimethylsiloxane, a widely used silicon-based organic polymer that is used in contact lenses because of the optical clarity it yields as well as its safety features. The circuit is invisible to the naked eye because it was formed by silver wires measuring just one micrometre in width.

Because the circuits are not easily detectable, they could be used in other transparent wearable devices and placed on the surface of the skin, able to sense pressure, temperature and even stretch, thus helping people with prosthetic limbs restore their sense of touch, among other applications, without having to look at potentially ugly circuitry.

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