[ExI] Silk Electronic Implants

Stefano Vaj stefano.vaj at gmail.com
Wed Nov 4 23:19:45 UTC 2009


http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/03/silk_electronic_implants/

Boffins working on biodegradable flexi LED implantsSilky hand-tattoo
displays to replace watches, PDAs?

By Lewis Page<http://forms.theregister.co.uk/mail_author/?story_url=/2009/11/03/silk_electronic_implants/>•
Get
more from this author <http://search.theregister.co.uk/?author=Lewis%20Page>
Boffins in America are working on biodegradable, flexible electronic devices
printed on silk, which could be implanted in the human body and would decay
naturally over time. Applications could include LED displays inlaid beneath
the skin, or direct nerve-controlled interfaces.

*MIT Tech Review* reports on the new in-body tech, which is seen as much
more practical and less invasive than current implants. These have rigid
structures and have to be "canned" or encased to protect them from body
fluids and vice versa.

Rather, Professor Brian Litt of Pennsylvania Uni plans to build devices laid
on flexible, foldable, rollable thin silk sheets. The silk backing is
gradually
<http://search.twitter.com/search?q=Boffins%20working%20on%20biodegradable%20flexi%20LED%20implants%0A%0A%20%20%20%20*%20Alert%0A%20%20%20%20*%20Print%0A%20%20%20%20*%20Post%20comment%0A%0ASilky%20hand-tattoo%20displays%20to%20replace%20watches%2C%20PDAs%3F%0A%0ABy%20Lewis%20Page%20%E2%80%A2%20Get%20more%20from%20this%20author%0A%0APosted%20in%20PCs%20%26%20Chips%2C%203rd%20November%202009%2011%3A50%20GMT%0A%0AFree%20whitepaper%20%E2%80%93%20Network%20performance%20management%20%3A%20What%20it%20is%20good%20for%3F%0A%0ABoffins%20in%20America%20are%20working%20on%20biodegradable%2C%20flexible%20electronic%20devices%20printed%20on%20silk%2C%20which%20could%20be%20implanted%20in%20the%20human%20body%20and%20would%20decay%20naturally%20over%20time.%20Applications%20could%20include%20LED%20displays%20inlaid%20beneath%20the%20skin%2C%20or%20direct%20nerve-controlled%20interfaces.%0A%0AMIT%20Tech%20Review%20reports%20on%20the%20new%20in-body%20tech%2C%20which%20is%20seen%20as%20much%20more%20practical%20and%20less%20invasive%20than%20current%20implants.%20These%20have%20rigid%20structures%20and%20have%20to%20be%20%22canned%22%20or%20encased%20to%20protect%20them%20from%20body%20fluids%20and%20vice%20versa.%0A%0ARather%2C%20Professor%20Brian%20Litt%20of%20Pennsylvania%20Uni%20plans%20to%20build%20devices%20laid%20on%20flexible%2C%20foldable%2C%20rollable%20thin%20silk%20sheets.%20The%20silk%20backing%20is%20gradually%20><http://www.google.com/search?q=Boffins%20working%20on%20biodegradable%20flexi%20LED%20implants%0A%0A%20%20%20%20*%20Alert%0A%20%20%20%20*%20Print%0A%20%20%20%20*%20Post%20comment%0A%0ASilky%20hand-tattoo%20displays%20to%20replace%20watches%2C%20PDAs%3F%0A%0ABy%20Lewis%20Page%20%E2%80%A2%20Get%20more%20from%20this%20author%0A%0APosted%20in%20PCs%20%26%20Chips%2C%203rd%20November%202009%2011%3A50%20GMT%0A%0AFree%20whitepaper%20%E2%80%93%20Network%20performance%20management%20%3A%20What%20it%20is%20good%20for%3F%0A%0ABoffins%20in%20America%20are%20working%20on%20biodegradable%2C%20flexible%20electronic%20devices%20printed%20on%20silk%2C%20which%20could%20be%20implanted%20in%20the%20human%20body%20and%20would%20decay%20naturally%20over%20time.%20Applications%20could%20include%20LED%20displays%20inlaid%20beneath%20the%20skin%2C%20or%20direct%20nerve-controlled%20interfaces.%0A%0AMIT%20Tech%20Review%20reports%20on%20the%20new%20in-body%20tech%2C%20which%20is%20seen%20as%20much%20more%20practical%20and%20less%20invasive%20than%20current%20implants.%20These%20have%20rigid%20structures%20and%20have%20to%20be%20%22canned%22%20or%20encased%20to%20protect%20them%20from%20body%20fluids%20and%20vice%20versa.%0A%0ARather%2C%20Professor%20Brian%20Litt%20of%20Pennsylvania%20Uni%20plans%20to%20build%20devices%20laid%20on%20flexible%2C%20foldable%2C%20rollable%20thin%20silk%20sheets.%20The%20silk%20backing%20is%20gradually%20><http://smarterfox.com/wikisearch/search?q=Boffins%20working%20on%20biodegradable%20flexi%20LED%20implants%0A%0A%20%20%20%20*%20Alert%0A%20%20%20%20*%20Print%0A%20%20%20%20*%20Post%20comment%0A%0ASilky%20hand-tattoo%20displays%20to%20replace%20watches%2C%20PDAs%3F%0A%0ABy%20Lewis%20Page%20%E2%80%A2%20Get%20more%20from%20this%20author%0A%0APosted%20in%20PCs%20%26%20Chips%2C%203rd%20November%202009%2011%3A50%20GMT%0A%0AFree%20whitepaper%20%E2%80%93%20Network%20performance%20management%20%3A%20What%20it%20is%20good%20for%3F%0A%0ABoffins%20in%20America%20are%20working%20on%20biodegradable%2C%20flexible%20electronic%20devices%20printed%20on%20silk%2C%20which%20could%20be%20implanted%20in%20the%20human%20body%20and%20would%20decay%20naturally%20over%20time.%20Applications%20could%20include%20LED%20displays%20inlaid%20beneath%20the%20skin%2C%20or%20direct%20nerve-controlled%20interfaces.%0A%0AMIT%20Tech%20Review%20reports%20on%20the%20new%20in-body%20tech%2C%20which%20is%20seen%20as%20much%20more%20practical%20and%20less%20invasive%20than%20current%20implants.%20These%20have%20rigid%20structures%20and%20have%20to%20be%20%22canned%22%20or%20encased%20to%20protect%20them%20from%20body%20fluids%20and%20vice%20versa.%0A%0ARather%2C%20Professor%20Brian%20Litt%20of%20Pennsylvania%20Uni%20plans%20to%20build%20devices%20laid%20on%20flexible%2C%20foldable%2C%20rollable%20thin%20silk%20sheets.%20The%20silk%20backing%20is%20gradually%20&locale=en-US><http://www.oneriot.com/search?p=smarterfox&ssrc=smarterfox_popup_bubble&spid=8493c8f1-0b5b-4116-99fd-f0bcb0a3b602&q=Boffins%20working%20on%20biodegradable%20flexi%20LED%20implants%0A%0A%20%20%20%20*%20Alert%0A%20%20%20%20*%20Print%0A%20%20%20%20*%20Post%20comment%0A%0ASilky%20hand-tattoo%20displays%20to%20replace%20watches%2C%20PDAs%3F%0A%0ABy%20Lewis%20Page%20%E2%80%A2%20Get%20more%20from%20this%20author%0A%0APosted%20in%20PCs%20%26%20Chips%2C%203rd%20November%202009%2011%3A50%20GMT%0A%0AFree%20whitepaper%20%E2%80%93%20Network%20performance%20management%20%3A%20What%20it%20is%20good%20for%3F%0A%0ABoffins%20in%20America%20are%20working%20on%20biodegradable%2C%20flexible%20electronic%20devices%20printed%20on%20silk%2C%20which%20could%20be%20implanted%20in%20the%20human%20body%20and%20would%20decay%20naturally%20over%20time.%20Applications%20could%20include%20LED%20displays%20inlaid%20beneath%20the%20skin%2C%20or%20direct%20nerve-controlled%20interfaces.%0A%0AMIT%20Tech%20Review%20reports%20on%20the%20new%20in-body%20tech%2C%20which%20is%20seen%20as%20much%20more%20practical%20and%20less%20invasive%20than%20current%20implants.%20These%20have%20rigid%20structures%20and%20have%20to%20be%20%22canned%22%20or%20encased%20to%20protect%20them%20from%20body%20fluids%20and%20vice%20versa.%0A%0ARather%2C%20Professor%20Brian%20Litt%20of%20Pennsylvania%20Uni%20plans%20to%20build%20devices%20laid%20on%20flexible%2C%20foldable%2C%20rollable%20thin%20silk%20sheets.%20The%20silk%20backing%20is%20gradually%20>absorbed
without difficulty by the body - Litt and his fellow boffins can design for
a period of months or years as required - leaving only microscopic amounts
of silicon, as the circuitry is only nanometres thick. Silicon is
"biocompatible" rather than "biodegradable", but in such tiny amounts it
isn't an issue.

All this means that an electronic device can be rolled up or folded and
slipped into place through a relatively small incision. Litt and his
colleagues believe they will soon have working silk-backed LEDs, for
instance, allowing one to have an LED "tattoo" beneath one's skin able to
display anything from the time to one's current blood-sugar count.

Other ploys might include connections to the nerves, perhaps wirelessly
linked to computers or other devices. Other
researchers<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/11/braingate_neuro_plug_trials/>have
also proposed using such hookups to "jumpwire" past broken or damaged
nerve connections, so restoring control over a paralysed limb.

The flexibility of wetted silk might even allow circuitry to conform to the
contours of the brain, according to the scientists, perhaps allowing
deep-brain stimulation techniques of the sort used to keep Parkinson's
disease under control.

Obstacles that lie ahead before we all get our under-skin bluetooth OLED
displays, brain-to-computer direct interfaces, nerve jumpwire links and so
on include the elimination of gold and titanium from the flexi-circuitry
tech, and in many cases the matter of power supplies.
"It would be nice to see the sophistication of [implant] devices start to
catch up with the sophistication of our basic science, and this technology
could really close that gap," Litt
told<http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/23847/page1/>
*Tech Review*.
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