• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News

Rolling out an e-sticker revolution

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
January 3, 2017
in Science News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram
IMAGE

Credit: © 2016 KAUST

The healthcare industry forecasts that our wellbeing in the future will be monitored by wearable wirelessly networked sensors. Manufacturing such devices could become much easier with decal electronics. A KAUST-developed process prints these high-performance silicon-based computers on to soft, sticker-like surfaces that can be attached anywhere1.

Fitting electronics on to the asymmetric contours of human bodies demands a re-think of traditional computer fabrications. One approach is to print circuit patterns on to materials such as polymers or cellulose using liquid ink made from conductive molecules. This technique enables high-speed roll-to-roll assembly of devices and packaging at low costs.

Flexible printed circuits, however, require conventional silicon components to handle applications such as digitizing analog signals. Such rigid modules can create uncomfortable hot spots on the body and increase device weight.

For the past four years, Muhammad Hussain and his team from the KAUST Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering Division have investigated ways to improve the flexibility of silicon materials while retaining their performance.

"We are trying to integrate all device components–sensors, data management electronics, battery, antenna–into a completely compliant system," explained Hussain. "However, packaging these discrete modules on to soft substrates is extremely difficult."

Searching for potential electronic skin applications, the researchers developed a sensor containing narrow strips of aluminum foil that changes conductivity at different bending states.

The devices, which could monitor a patient's breathing patterns or activity levels, feature high-mobility zinc oxide nanotransistors on silicon wafers thinned down lithographically to microscale dimensions for maximum flexibility. Using three-dimensional (3-D) printing techniques, the team encapsulated the silicon chips and foils into a polymer film backed by an adhesive layer.

Hussain and his colleagues found a way to make the e-sticker sensors work in multiple applications. They used inkjet printing to write conductive wiring patterns on to different surfaces, such as paper or clothing. Custom-printed decals were then attached or re-adhered to each location.

"You can place a pressure-sensing decal on a tire to monitor it while driving and then peel it off and place it on your mattress to learn your sleeping patterns," said Galo Torres Sevilla, first author of the findings and a KAUST Ph.D. graduate.

The robust performance and high-throughput manufacturing potential of decal electronics could launch a number of innovative sensor deployments, noted Hussain.

"I believe that electronics have to be democratized–simple to learn and easy to implement. Electronic decals are a right step in that direction," Hussain said.

###

Media Contact

Michelle D'Antoni
[email protected]

http://kaust.edu.sa/

############

Story Source: Materials provided by Scienmag

Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Efficient Lithium/Sodium Iron Silicate Cathodes via Milling

Efficient Lithium/Sodium Iron Silicate Cathodes via Milling

September 23, 2025
Metal-Doped Prussian Blue Nanoparticles Enhance Battery Anodes

Metal-Doped Prussian Blue Nanoparticles Enhance Battery Anodes

September 23, 2025

How Federal Health Surveys Are Measuring Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Differences in Sex Development

September 22, 2025

Gene Analysis Uncovers Metal Exposure in Synechococcus

September 22, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Physicists Develop Visible Time Crystal for the First Time

    Physicists Develop Visible Time Crystal for the First Time

    69 shares
    Share 28 Tweet 17
  • Breakthrough in Computer Hardware Advances Solves Complex Optimization Challenges

    156 shares
    Share 62 Tweet 39
  • Tailored Gene-Editing Technology Emerges as a Promising Treatment for Fatal Pediatric Diseases

    50 shares
    Share 20 Tweet 13
  • Scientists Achieve Ambient-Temperature Light-Induced Heterolytic Hydrogen Dissociation

    49 shares
    Share 20 Tweet 12

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Efficient Lithium/Sodium Iron Silicate Cathodes via Milling

Metal-Doped Prussian Blue Nanoparticles Enhance Battery Anodes

How Federal Health Surveys Are Measuring Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Differences in Sex Development

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.