Safe stretchable cutaneous stopwatch created

Electroluminescent displays that stick to skin or other surfaces are no longer science fiction.

A team of engineers from Nanjing Universitydeveloped an epidermal stretch stopwatch that works on low-voltage alternating current, which makes its use absolutely safe for human tissues.

To create this device, the researchers placed an electroluminescent layer of light-emitting microparticles dispersed in a stretchable dielectric material,between two flexible silver nanowire electrodes.

The four-digit stopwatch also includes a newa type of dielectric material consisting of ceramic nanoparticles embedded in a rubber polymer that increases the brightness of the display. At low voltages, the numbers on it were bright enough to be seen under indoor lighting.

Researchers claim that this technology can be widely used in wearable smart devices, soft robotics and human-machine interfaces.

However, this is not the first successful development in this.direction. Last year, an international team of researchers developed a technology for manufacturing reliable, tattoo-like electronic circuits that can be used as wearable computers or gadgets.

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