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Flexible Circuits

EPFL stretchable elestic flexible circuit gold gallium
Manufacturing, Wearable Technology

Stretchable, Bendable Circuit Promises Improved Wearables

February 29, 2016

Stretchable Bendable Circuit Promises Wearables EPFL elastic gold gallium flexible Switzerland flexible

Researchers at Switzerland’s EPFL have discovered a way to create circuits that are both flexible and able to be stretched. Typically circuits need to be hard printed onto a ridged board. This ensures that the delicate pathways and connections required for the circuit to function don’t get damaged. While this design works perfectly for computers, TVs, phones, and toasters, it is not so great for things that need to move – such as wearables. Rigid circuits have been a fairly significant design limitation for wearable technology up until this point. If you are looking to integrate circuitry into an article of clothing, typically thin, durable wires are integrated into the garment which are connected to a plastic box containing the circuity. While designers will still have to contend with an inflexible battery, removing the constraints of the hard printed circuit board is a huge leap forward for wearable design.  

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by Doug Parker
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Department Of Defense FlexTech Alliance Logos
Wearable Technology

Defense Dept Recruits Apple And Others To Develop Wearables

August 31, 2015

Defense Department Recruits Apple MIT GE Stanford Wearables FlexTech Alliance Logos

The US Defense Department made it clear that it wants to be more involved with wearable technology. The department has announced a partnership with a consortium called the FlexTech Alliance. The consortium consists of over 160 private sector organizations including companies, universities, nonprofits, and independent research organizations. Among its members are Apple, MIT, Stanford, Boeing, GE, and Qualcomm. True to the name FlexTech, the members will work to further refine flexible electronic circuit technology, addressing durability, size, weight, and cost. The idea is create a technology that can be as easily applied to a soldier’s uniform as it can to the side of a jet. While specific goals aren’t known, each company will bid out solving particular problems of the technology and its application. There will be a centralized headquarters in San Jose called the “Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Flexible Hybrid Electronics” and regional hubs, all of which will serve as venues for the various organizations involved to meet and collaborate. It is interesting that the Defense Department is beginning to rely more and more on the innovation occurring in the private sector. Hopefully they don’t become so reliant that the department follows a similar path to what happened with NASA.

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by Doug Parker
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