Researchers at Cornell University have developed two new kinds of on-skin electronics that let users design and build them directly on their bodies.
These innovations, called SkinLink and ECSkin, were created by the Hybrid Body Lab led by Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao, an assistant professor of human-centered design.
These flexible devices could be used for biometric sensing, medical monitoring, interactive prosthetic makeup, and much more.
What is SkinLink?
SkinLink is an advanced on-skin electronic interface that allows users to create and customize the circuits right on their skin.
Unlike earlier versions of on-skin electronics, which had preset designs, SkinLink offers more flexibility in how users can design and arrange the circuits.
It is a significant improvement over a previous version called SkinKit, which Kao's team presented in 2021. While SkinKit offered slim, flexible circuit boards in temporary tattoo form, it was limited in customization because it had pre-programmed behaviors.
In contrast, SkinLink enables users to place individual modules directly on the skin and connect them as needed. This means they can choose specific functions and arrange them in ways that best suit their needs.
What is ECSkin?
The other invention, ECSkin, is an electrochromic display interface that features modular designs made up of small tiles. These tiles can be rearranged to create customized display patterns on the skin. The tiles can change color or display information based on the user's setup.
The SkinLink toolkit contains different types of modules: sensor modules, actuator modules, and trace modules (flexible wires) that connect everything together. The whole system is managed by a small microcontroller board.
Users can program the microcontroller repeatedly during the design process, allowing them to fine-tune the circuit's functions.
One of the standout features of SkinLink is that it allows users to experiment with circuit designs by placing and adjusting the modules directly on their skin. This flexibility was not possible with earlier tools like SkinKit.
Kao's team presented SkinLink in early October at UbiComp/ISWC '24, an international conference on pervasive and ubiquitous computing. Their work received a Distinguished Paper Award from a leading journal in this field. The team believes these new tools will enable more sophisticated designs and open up a wide range of creative possibilities.
Kao explains that these new on-skin electronics have the potential for various applications, including artistic projects, wearable tech research, and physiological sensing in psychology studies.
She also sees future possibilities beyond human use. For example, similar technology could be developed to create "skin" interfaces for animals or to help monitor plants in agriculture.
With SkinLink and ECSkin, the Hybrid Body Lab aims to expand the scope of on-skin electronics, enabling more personalized designs and wider applications in different fields.