Researchers in South Korea have unveiled a new printing technology that apparently allows the production of flexible, organic electronic devices that can be created by drawing figures with a "pen".
The technology clearly lends itself to wearables, and is based on the "capillary phenomenon" - meaning it imitates the way water moves through roots and stems in plants to the veins of the leaves. What this translates to in practice is that electronic ink can be distributed from a thin, pen-like nozzle at a constant speed, in constant quantities.
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The technique is thought to be a lot faster, simpler and cheaper than current methods that rely on the traditional inkjet printing process, which has limits for mass-production.
The pen nozzle can "draw" electronic ink in a number of shape in accordance with a product's design, including zigzags, spirals and points, and it can do so quickly and, so it is claimed, correctly every time.
According to the researchers, another advantage of the "pen" technique is that it is not just limited to working on a plastic substrate: silicon, glass and polymers are also fair game for printing with electronic ink. This means metal, plastic and a wide range of textiles could carry electronic components straight off the production line.
The team hopes the technology will "contribute to creating new markets, such as electronics, e.g. folding cell phones and smartpads that roll like paper, but also medical sensors installed on the body to measure signals of the human body and diving suits with the communication function."
Wraparound touch displays have been widely covered as a potential next-big-thing in technology for around a year now, with Apple being linked to such a technology for a possible next-generation iPhone back in July 2012.
