Silicon Islands for Embedded Medical Devices (Flexible Electronics)

Silicon Islands is a technology used to incorporate electronic components into a flexible material that can bend up to 140% and twist to 90% within 1cm. That’s impressive given the low-tolerance to twisting for most electronics that we use. Researchers think that this flexibility will allow them to create devices that can be embedded in human bodies.

It’s not useful only to Cyborgs: bendable electronics can also make non-embedded devices better, more shock resistant, or simply more seamlessly integrated.

The principle can be seen on the image above: they have divided the circuitry into smaller portions (the islands) that are connected together. This makes the rigid surface smaller, thus allowing the overall object to bend. Press Release, Abstract.