Scientists in Japan create biodegradable electronics

JAPANESE scientists have invented an electronic data-transmitting device that can decompose in soil.

The biodegradable device, created by scientists at the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research at Osaka University, can reportedly connect to an Internet of Things system in order to transmit data.

Its creators hope that the device will provide an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic commonly used in electric appliances, according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

Square in shape and just 1mm thick, the nanopaper sheets are expected to be used for data collection in inaccessible places, such as the rims of volcanoes, where they can decompose without harming the environment.

Key to the device are its superfine fibres, which are reportedly around 1,000 times thinner than the fibres in regular pulp paper and create sheets with a smooth, plastic-like surface.

Putting the concept to the test, scientists reportedly created a special hygrometer – which measures humidity in the soil – by placing components including a coil and a transistor on the nanopaper material.

The team, led by Takaaki Kasuga, a doctoral course researcher, said the hygrometer was capable of transmitting data wirelessly to farmers in distant locations, so they know when they need water crops, for example.

The scientists reportedly found that as much as 95 per cent of the device decomposed in the soil in about 40 days.