Electrical and Mechanical Design Rules for Skin-Like Transistor Circuits

Princeton University, Princeton NJ

Investigators

Abstract

This project will identify materials and devices for the construction of Sensitive Skin. Sensitive Skins will enable machines to sense over their entire surface, operate in unstructured environments, and become "cautious." The availability of Sensitive Skin would trigger a revolution in service automation, raise the efficiency of machine use, thereby greatly benefiting the environment, and provide powerful prosthetic devices to humans. The project will begin by exploring the incorporation of integrated circuit type metalization in bendable and stretchable passive circuits. Their physical components will be first meanders then helices of interconnect wires made by thin film techniques. These will be embedded near the neutral plane of the circuit structure. Active devices, primarily thin film transistors, at first will be confined to rigid platforms. Depending on advances made in the experimental and theoretical understanding of stretchable metalization, further experiments will address flexible active devices and circuits. The result of this project will be basic design rules for constructing Sensitive Skin.