| 2016-KRAM-67277 | |
| The manufacture of flexible electronics that exhibit the durability necessary for use on fabric substrates has always been a challenge. Wearable circuitry needs to exhibit an appropriate flexibility, durability, and adhesion to fabric substrates to be useful, yet present techniques rely on adhering electronics to fabric surfaces through resource-intensive processes that result in relatively delicate products with limited usefulness. Researchers at Purdue University have developed a single-process manufacturing method, similar to 3D printing, which enables the rapid manufacture of wearable electronics at a fraction of the cost. This method prints flexible sensors into a fabric substrate resulting in embedded sensing devices with dramatic increases in sophistication and resilience. This discovery extends to the production of multi-material sensors in a single manufacturing step, sets the stage for the next generation of wearable electronics with greater sensitivity and durability, and leads to the possibility of many new, more capable applications. Advantages: -Single-step manufacturing -Increased sensitivity -Inexpensive and smarter circuitry integrated into fabrics Potential Applications: -Manufacture of flexible, substrate embedded electronics -Wearable electronics -Health monitoring -Quantified self -Security/defense |
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Jul 28, 2017
Utility Patent
United States
(None)
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Jul 28, 2016
Provisional-Patent
United States
(None)
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Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization 1801 Newman Road West Lafayette, IN 47906 Phone: (765) 588-3475 Fax: (765) 463-3486 Email: otcip@prf.org |