Peelable technology turns everyday objects into IoT devices

Researchers have developed a new fabrication technique that uses a single wafer to build a nearly infinite number of thin film electronic circuits that are peelable from a surface.

The technique from researchers at Purdue University and the University of Virginia is claimed to eliminate several manufacturing steps and associated costs, and allows any object to sense its environment or be controlled through the application of a high-tech sticker.

According to Purdue, the stickers could eventually facilitate wireless communication. The researchers demonstrate capabilities on various objects in a paper recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"We could customise a sensor, stick it onto a drone, and send the drone to dangerous areas to detect gas leaks, for example," said Chi Hwan Lee, Purdue assistant professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering.

Electronic circuits are often individually built on their own silicon wafer, a flat and rigid substrate. The silicon wafer then withstands the high temperatures and chemical etching that are used to remove the circuits from the wafer.