Samsung Has Created Electronic Skin That Can Stretch up to 30%

Over the past few years, the tech industry has consistently improved on its foldable displays, creating plenty of durable options for smartphone and tablet users. Naturally, the next step would be a screen that’s not only flexible but also stretchable, and that’s exactly what Samsung has just created.

In an announcement from the Samsung Advanced Insitute of Technology (SAIT), a team of researchers has unveiled a new “stretchable electronic skin” which can stretch up by 30 percent without damaging any of the components. It even has a built-in heartbeat monitor which can tell you your heart rate on the OLED display itself.

The technology has been made possible by replacing materials used in flexible displays with elastomers, a highly technical material that is both extremely resilient and elastic. This is then coupled with a stretchable electrode material that allows the wiring between pixels to stretch out without damaging the OLED pixels themselves.

“The strength of this technology is that it allows you to measure your biometric data for a longer period without having to remove the solution when you sleep or exercise, since the patch feels like part of your skin,” the project’s lead researched Youngjun Yun explained in a statement from the institute. “You can also check your biometric data right away on the screen without having to transfer it to an external device. The technology can also be expanded to use in wearable healthcare products for adults, children and infants, as well as patients with certain diseases.”

For now, the new technology is still in its early stages, and Samsung hopes to improve it until mass production is possible while adding greater functionality, including monitoring peripheral oxygen saturation, electromyogram readings and blood pressure.

Elsewhere in tech, here are the biggest announcements from Apple’s WWDC 2021.