CAREER: Transforming Personalized Computing with Flexible Systems-On-Polymer

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Flexible electronics technology has the potential to transform computing by enabling bendable and stretchable systems at a low cost. Physical flexibility combined with cost and weight advantages opens a wide range of application areas, including wearable electronics, medical sensing and rollable displays. However, the performance and capabilities of purely flexible electronics are currently much more limited than the silicon technology. Emerging flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) integrates rigid silicon chips and printed electronics to bridge the gap between today's complex systems and flexible electronics. Hence, FHE can drive the next big leap forward in the form factor design, similar to the shift from desktop and laptop computers to hand-held devices. FHE systems differ significantly from traditional computing systems. First, physical flexibility and stretchability expands the design space into an uncharted dimension, which introduces intricate trade-offs with the traditional power, performance and area metrics. Second, bending and stretching can alter the characteristics of FHE systems. Finally, large batteries and heat sinks are prohibitive due to flexibility and wearability constraints. Therefore, there is a need for theoretically grounded and practically applicable tools that quantify physical flexibility as a new metric. The proposed project will advance the state-of-the-art in FHE by developing modeling, flexibility-aware optimization and run-time management techniques. FHE can be an enabler for ubiquitous devices for wearable computing, internet-of-things, body sensors, and medical applications. This project will help in transforming lives by providing a systematic approach to design wearable systems and arbitrarily shaped objects. For example, FHE can enable electronic patches equipped with motion, physiological and biochemical sensors, and wireless transceivers. These patches can be used to examine movement disorders anytime and anywhere, in stark contrast to the current practice, where a patient has to stay in a clinical environment. The educational goal of this project is to enrich the engineering curriculum with FHE. A digest of research outcomes will be presented to undergraduate and graduate students through a new course. This project will also provide hands-on training to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students to strengthen the STEM workforce pipeline.