On April 2005 we have written about microchip powering Bionic eye that, if come to fruition, will help blind to see things. Now researchers working at the Department of Energy’s Berkeley Lab have created a relatively inexpensive “electronic skin” comprising of carbon nanotubes enriched with semiconductors that are also flexible and stretchable. The process involves an enriched single walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) solution embedded in a honeycomb pattern of hexagonal holes, this allow the “skin” to be flexible stretchable while it remains as a semiconductor.
The image above is actually the electronic skin wrapped around a baseball. Combined with ink-jet printing of electrical contacts, the technology paves the way for making flexible, wearable computers and a host of other cool things like smart bandages, flexible solar cells and electronic skin that can sense touch.
With a bionic eye, an electronic skin and a neural interface jack the future looks promising and creepy at the same time.
