Smart skin is an "epidermal electronic system", which was developed with funding by the National Science Foundation and the US Air Force. The device contains micro-circuitry, such as transistors, sensors, transmitters and receivers, that can get wrinkled, are bendable and stretchable, just like real skin is, yet allowing damage-free function of all components.
Envisaged biomedical applications would allow wearers freedom of movement, avoiding the obtrusive, uncomfortable methods, using adhesive tapes and wires to attach devices to people. The main reason for this is that smart skin is only 50 microns thick and light enough to stay attached to real skin without glue or adhesive, through surface forces.
In terms of power consumption, it is so low that no battery will be needed for most applications. The device can use ambient sources of energy to harvest, whether those would be miniaturized solar cells or the movements of its wearer.
MC10, set up in Cambridge, Massachusetts is heading the efforts to commercialise the smart skin technology.
