Switzerland – Scientist have found a way to create electronic chips that are so thin and flexible that they can be wrapped around a hair.

They make this chip by building an electronic circuit on top of two polyvinyl layers that are perched on a hard base, almost like a sandwich.

The sandwich is then places in water which dissolves two of the polyvinyl layers and causes the base to be released, sinking to the bottom of the lab dish.  With the base removed, what’s left is a circuit that is embedded on a super light, transparent non soluble polymer film called parylene that is just one micrometer think.

This new ultra flexible chip may have many medical uses including being put on contact lenses to provide a monitor for glaucoma.  In the future, it may be used for other wearable biosensors.

For more information and videos, please visit phys.org.

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