Flexible, Stretchable, Implantable LED Arrays Created 147
Zothecula writes "Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have created bio-compatible LED arrays that can bend, stretch, and even be implanted under the skin. While this might cause some people to immediately think, 'glowing tattoos,' the arrays are actually intended for activating drugs, monitoring medical conditions, or performing other biomedical tasks within the body. Down the road, however, they could also be incorporated into consumer goods, robotics, or military/industrial applications."
perfect for a real wrist-watch.. (Score:5, Interesting)
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Actually (Score:5, Interesting)
While this might cause some people to immediately think, 'glowing tattoos,'
Actually I imagined hooking up a super powerful LED to some nerve endings on the tips of my finger, then using it as a flashlight at any moment by training my brain to trigger the on-off switch like a muscle reaction.
Other immediate reactions included:
Finger Mounted Laser pointers
Hand turning red when commiting crimes, to deliver the line "You caught me red handed".
And holding my breath till my face turns blue.
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That would be the ultimate wireless accessory!
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Pr0n would be... difficult.
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Yeah, especially with a screen on your palm...
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Oh, like you need to use both hands at the same time...
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No thanks, I hand my phone to other people too often, besides I don't want to go through surgery for a new phone every 2 years.
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I am still thinking of a ghost in the shell like future! If we have artificial arms and legs, it could be as easy as sticking 2 lego together!
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It sounds like something out of Bioshock, but I'd love it.
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Well I grew up on System Shock - so that isn't a surprise.
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Where will you put the battery? Nerves don't have the current to light an LED.
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Oh - I didn't actually think these ideas through, these were my "immediate thoughts" when they said implantable LED.
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Re:Actually (Score:5, Interesting)
1 kcal (food calorie) is 4187 joules, or watt-seconds.
So 1 watt continuos power is about .00024 kcal/second.
A typical LED will light at 1.7 v and 15 mA, or about 25 mW.
Meaning you need about 6e-6 kcal/second to keep it lit.
Glucose is about 4 kcal per gram, so it would consume about 1.5e-6 grams of glucose per second, roughly 90 ug/minute, or 3.5 mg/hr.
For comparison, an average person walking at average speed burns about 100 kcal/hr, which is about 120 watts, but conversion to external work is only about 25% efficient so you can expect to light a 30-watt incandescent bulb walking on a treadmill, or roughly a thousand LEDs. Note, the conversion from LED to LED display isn't direct, as display LEDs are very small and put out less power than discretes; looking up AMOLED shows you can get away with maybe 100 mw total for something with tens of thousands of pixels, and one person on a treadmill could keep a few hundred of those lit.
But if you don't want a treadmill, you still need to find a way to convert the glucose to electricity. Right now the only way to get from here to there is burning the glucose (i.e., self-propagating exothermic oxidation) to make steam energy to drive a dynamo. Even the processes in neural and muscular action aren't a direct conversion; they're electromechanical systems that first use the splitting of bonds in glucose to activate ion-pumping channels that push charged particles to opposite sides of a membrane; then when the channels are triggered they open wide to allow the charges to flood back across, creating an electromagnetic wave along a neuronal wire (axon) or catalyzing further mechanical action in the large molecular levers and ratchets (actin/myosin) that shorten muscle fibers (myofibrils).
So we're back to needing a mechanical source of electricity and batteries. Maybe implant piezo or electromechanical generators in the larger joints, and do a few jumping jacks every few minutes to recharge.
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What about using the kinetic energy from like arm swings or something to turn mini turbines on a wrist band or something (along the line of those self winding watches, but converting the energy to electricity and storing it in small batteries). Of course now we're back to having got wear something... Having a turbine, no matter how small, implanted just sound unpleasant.
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So wear piezo-electric clothing and go for a stroll.
Or, get one of those LED flashlights that work simply by shaking them for a minute or two, hook up the charging device to your arm, shake a bit, turn it on.
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You're a programmer, aren't you ;)
You could convert the body's kinetic energy (you know, the movement the chemical reactions in your muscles cause) to electricity in a lot of ways.
But personally, I'd rather not have anything unnecessary implanted in my body (although I am in fact a cyborg; I have a CrystaLens implant in my eye)
Re:Actually (Score:4, Interesting)
No, actually, I'm a biomedical engineer who does software because at the time I got my degree it paid about 4X as much and had about 400X as many interesting things going on. Now it's about parity on both fronts.
When I said "implant piezo or electromechanical generators in the larger joints" I was using "the movement the chemical reactions in your muscles cause".
Though it occurs to me now that what we need is a battery muscle. A dish-grown copy of a bicep, say, that is implanted somewhere under the skin (horizontally across the forward processes of the pelvis, say, where most people store belly fat as a bulge anyway) attached to a linear electromechanical generator and coopting a nerve from a small, little-used, almost unnecessary, possibly evolutionary-holdover muscle such as the cremaster. It wouldn't be hard to learn how to move that muscle with that nerve. Then, whenever your eye-implanted display shows "LO BATT", you'd think "waggle my nuts" over and over again, and soon it would show the "FULL BATT" icon.
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Fascinating. You bio-engineers must have all kinds of fun.
Got a newsletter to subscribe to?
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No, we watch a lot of Food Network, and get more out of it than the usual cook.
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Just FYI we're using piezo-electrics in new power generating wind stations. Looks like long hairs sticking up into the wind.
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So we're back to needing a mechanical source of electricity and batteries. Maybe implant piezo or electromechanical generators in the larger joints, and do a few jumping jacks every few minutes to recharge.
What about an implantable fuel cell "burning" the glucose through a membrane? (just google)
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You'd need 1. a new catalyst to crack the glucose, 2. a new membrane that allows the glucose (or the oxygen) through, and 3. a way to pressurize the glucose (while fuel cells are positive energy balance, they take quite a bit of work input on the feed side that can be bled from the output side). And you'd have to make sure that the electrochemical reaction at the glucose/catalyst interface is the correct net polarity to provide electrons to the circuit, or the reaction at the oxygen/catalyst side won't wor
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It seems some people are making progress on the glucose fuel cell. [fastcompany.com]
Current tech can only produce about 6.5 microwatts per cell, which is not nearly enough for a regular LED, but it's a step in the right direction.
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Oblig (Score:3, Funny)
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Other use: WEIGHT LOSS!!!!!!!
Show your friends and family how bright you are!
(ducks)
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Close. Now get me a frigging shark.
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Actually I imagined hooking up a super powerful LED to some nerve endings on the tips of my finger
Bad choice of location. I mean, it's a great choice for the utility of the flashlight, but poor because you're giving up a region of your most sensitive tactile sense.
Me, my first thought is forehead, like a headlamp, so both hands are free. Maybe with an adjustable lens to point it up and down. Make it so.
Oh but seriously, programmable, animated tattoos would be pretty cool. I might get one of those. :)
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But then you don't have the utility of being able to angle the light source in different ways. Sometimes its better for angled reflective objects if the light is above the object to reflect into your eye, as opposed to coming from your head and then reflecting away.
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Sometimes its better for angled reflective objects if the light is above the object to reflect into your eye, as opposed to coming from your head and then reflecting away.
But only rarely is this better if it costs you the use of your hand.
If you want light coming from arbitrary angles, get a snake light. :)
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Maybe with an adjustable lens to point it up and down.
I have a beam-angle-adjustment mechanism already. It's called a neck ;)
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Yes but you may want to adjust the angle relative to your face, or to get a good angle for the light without it being a bad angle for your neck.
I say this from personal experience with headlamps, where ones that have an adjustable tilt are much more useful than ones without.
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Some people no longer have these "neck" things you speak of, so we have to find alternatives. Fortunately the people without necks just happen to have fingers the size of sausages so putting a Maglite in there is no problem.
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-laughs-
Well played.
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"Actually I imagined hooking up a super powerful LED to some nerve endings on the tips of my finger, then using it as a flashlight at any moment by training my brain to trigger the on-off switch like a muscle reaction."
Enjoy frying your finger as the diodes, without any active cooling or heat sink besides your body, heats up to a temperature hot enough to slag the diode after about 10 seconds of operation.
Or (Score:4, Interesting)
to immediately think, 'glowing tattoos,'
My thought was "animated tattoos tied to pulse and temperature monitors so the tattoo could display imagery to indicate my current mood."
Happy kitten means come and sit a spell. Mushroom cloud means someone needs killin'.
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to immediately think, 'glowing tattoos,'
My thought was "animated tattoos tied to pulse and temperature monitors so the tattoo could display imagery to indicate my current mood."
Happy kitten means come and sit a spell. Mushroom cloud means someone needs killin'.
An erection means I'm happy to see you.
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Re:Or (Score:5, Insightful)
Or...
Under-the-skin indicator for blood sugar levels in diabetics.
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Or...
Under-the-skin indicator for blood sugar levels in diabetics.
There is actually a tattoo in the works that does this. Here is the link: diabetes tattoo [discovery.com] But using leds instead could work too.
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Happy kitten means come and sit a spell. Mushroom cloud means someone needs killin'.
I don't want to know what both together would mean.
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It means you are Takashi Murakami [takashimurakami.com], obviously.
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My thought was "animated tattoos tied to pulse and temperature monitors so the tattoo could display imagery to indicate my current mood."
Minmatar War Tattoos [eveonline.com]
Advertising (Score:2)
You could be paid an unlimited lifetime supply of deodorant if you have the glowing LED tattoo "Deodorant levels low, buy more Axe Body Spray" tattooed on your hairy, gold chain festooned chest, which will of course be visible, since your shirt will be buttoned down to your crotch.
Excellent... (Score:2)
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Why would you need a tron suit? From what I can tell you could pepper your body with these devices and run around naked.... looking like you're in a tron suit.
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Why would you need a tron suit? From what I can tell you could pepper your body with these devices and run around naked.... looking like you're in a tron suit.
Exactly!
How do these two go together? (Score:2)
bio-compatible LED arrays that can ... be implanted under the skin
they could also be incorporated into consumer goods, robotics
What kind of robot needs bio-compatible LED arrays? What kind of consumer good ends up implanted under the skin? Even 7 of 9 would technically be a cyborg as opposed to robot.
I suppose you could embed very high efficiency red and blue LEDs and some algae in your lungs, and run the LEDs off stored body fat...
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Robotics can now be flexible, is basically the idea.
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"What kind of robot needs bio-compatible LED arrays?"
The kind of robot that could target your skin with those LEDs and activate light-sensitive drugs, so a human doctor can be left to do analysis of other patients.
"What kind of consumer good ends up implanted under the skin?"
Hmm, piercings, body mods, maybe mood ring/indicators? Maybe flashlight eyes like in the original Deus Ex?
"I suppose you could embed very high efficiency red and blue LEDs and some algae in your lungs, and run the LEDs off stored body f
Robotics and medical uses are good, but... (Score:2, Insightful)
Glowing tattoos would be a best-seller, even at high prices, just because it's unique and eye-catching.
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Potential users of implantable LCD for medical purposes: small number.
Potential users of implantable LCD for fashion or entertainment purposes: large number.
Like robotic prostheses, the groundbreaking work will be done for medical reasons, where money is no object. However, the technology will see many more improvements in cost, efficiency, and useability once it becomes useful to a larger group.
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Setting up a bunch of folks with glowing tattoos and tapping in to their display control network so you can use them for a giant living game of Tetris?
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Cloak of Anarchy (Score:2)
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With a big enough led array, it could be analog, digital or even nerdtastic binary.
Neat (Score:2, Interesting)
I have a needle phobia and have to get regular tests for RBC/WBC/platelets and hormone levels.
I'd love a solution to my levels that doesn't require a stick into my crappy veins and three to four vials of blood.
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Yea, I feel for you diabetics.
Little needles like a finger prick don't bother me, IVs of any type make me twitch.
Kept me from trying heroin though ;)
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Diabetic Tattoos: Another slashdotter above mentioned them: http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1838216&cid=34016638 [slashdot.org]
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I'd like to see this as a glucose monitor powered by glucose itself. [technologyreview.com] Perhaps the array would begin to glow at 75 mmol/dL and increase in intensity from there. If it is off or laser pointer bright you are in trouble. Perhaps tie it in with an insulin pump so you only have to find one port site whenever you need to move the pump.
Finally! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Finally! (Score:5, Funny)
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It would probably be easier and cheaper to just unzip the eye slits of your latex gimp mask.
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At last there is hope for those of us that have problems finding the hole in the dark!
That's the WRONG hole!
That is what she said....
Well then WHERE are my net-enabled contacts... (Score:2)
How could I find my way around without google's constant help?
Tramp Stamp (Score:4, Funny)
Now serving number ____.
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Now serving number ____.
I saw a girl with a tattoo that said this on her lower back (tramp stamp area). I think is was a henna tattoo. It was dark, but did not look like a regular tattoo. It still made me laugh though.
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ultra-tramp stamp: inverted words on the ass or back of thigh
"sperm bank depository"
"ride: one nickel"
but then there's
"if you can read this, you'd better be holding engagement ring"
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"Please don't set your beer down here"
Ever wonder what those Chinese character tatoos actually say?
Hence that well known song... (Score:2)
...you light up my prostate.
spine implants (Score:2)
To glow red and pulse up and down, for when you're making little cylons with your favorite hoomanz.
Popups (Score:4, Funny)
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It... It won't be your chest they'll be advertising on. ;_;
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Great - so when my wireless internet enabled skin display gets infected with spam, I'll have adverts for viagra appearing on my chest. Brilliant
You just need to plug in the NoScript.
LOGAN's RUN (Score:2)
Now, where's Jenny Agutter ...
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Bio-compatible carcinogen? (Score:2, Interesting)
These LEDs are made of gallium arsenide, which is listed as a carcinogen.
I don't think "bio-compatible" means what they think it means.
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You assume that alloy isn't ENCASED in something.
Hint: 100% of diodes are encased, usually in resin or glass.
From TFA (Score:2)
That array was added to a pre-stretched sheet of rubber, which was then itself encapsulated inside another piece of rubber, this one being bio-compatible and transparent.
Great! (Score:2)
hrmph (Score:2)
Sort of Tattoo-ish (Score:2)
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The lady will ask "Why does it say "YAD" on it? It'll get hard and spell out "You Are Doomed!"
Maybe one of those UV LEDs would help with birth control. Then again sunburn inside there might be painful.
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[insert_evil_laugh_here]
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Well, we've already had wang computers [wikipedia.org].
All the secretaries just LOVED the wangs...
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Women can have them implanted in their chest, just above their cleavage:
Look Here
V
Re:hm. (Score:4, Insightful)
^ My eyes are up THERE!
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Hey, that's a great idea, if a guy notices the sign, she knows he's gay!
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Or a tattoo that can tell you when you need another injection of counteragent to counteract the impending quicksilver madness because you overused your invisibility gland.
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Mmmmmm Tron style bodies! Can't wait to see the first pr0n! It certainly would make the whole strip clubs scene much more enticing!
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They *DO* call him the two-pump chump!