Let your skin play the music!

South Korean researchers have developed an ultrathin wearable device that can help achieve the unique feat

Scientists have developed a transparent, ultrathin device that can turn your skin into a loudspeaker, paving the way for a new generation of wearable sensors and devices. Created in part to help the hearing and speech impaired, the technology can be further explored for various potential applications, such as Internet of Things sensors and conformal health care devices.

Researchers from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in South Korea developed ultrathin, transparent, and conductive hybrid nanomembranes with nanoscale thickness, consisting of an orthogonal silver nanowire array embedded in a polymer matrix. They, then, demonstrated their nanomembrane by making it into a loudspeaker that can be attached to almost anything to produce sounds.

The researchers also introduced a similar device, acting as a microphone, which can be connected to smartphones and computers to unlock voice-activated security systems. Nanomembranes (NMs) are molcularly thin seperation layers with nanoscale thickness.

“Our ultrathin, transparent, and conductive hybrid NMs facilitate conformal contact with curvilinear and dynamic surfaces without any cracking or rupture,” said Saewon Kang, at UNIST. “These layers are capable of detecting sounds and vocal vibrations produced by the triboelectric voltage signals corresponding to sounds, which could be further explored for various potential applications, such as sound input/output devices,”Kang said.