November 26, 2009

LED Tattoos



Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are working on devices constructed from silicon and silk which have the ability to carry light emitting diodes (LEDs). Devices like these have already been successfully implanted into mice, meaning we may not be that far removed from seeing tattoos that can move and turn your skin into a screen.

The silicon-LED chips are mounted onto silk and implanted into your skin. The silk eventually dissolves. The chips are about the length of a grain of rice and only 250 nanometers thick. After the addition of saline solution, the silicon chips will mold to the shape of your skin.

Similar devices, specifically Radio Frequency Identification tags (RFID) can be injected into peoples’ pets in case they run away. The only difference is that the devices we’re talking about can move elastically throughout the body.
Currently these silk-silicon-LED devices are being used within the medical community to function as blood-sugar sensors and neurodevices for example, to control prosthetics.

We see endless possibilities for this technology, but some ideas that come to mind include: GPS road maps on the back of your hand, scrolling marquee advertisements on the bodies of attractive persons, instead of sunglasses, microchips on your eyeballs that darken based on the brightness of the sun, the possibilities truly are endless.
Philips has its own ideas…

From www.gradientmagazine.com

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