New Way to Create Stretchable Electronic Tattoos

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Carmel Majidi of Carnegie Mellon University  discusses a new way of creating electronic tattoos. Circuits are made of silver nanoparticles and printed on the same film used for commercial temporary tattoos. The silver nanoparticles are coated with a liquid metal alloy that fuses with the silver to create conductive wires on the tattoo. The conductivity is high enough to support digital circuit functionality, which remains even as it is stretched. These electronic tattoos have applications that range from health care to personal electronic devices.