MIT Develop Smart Paper

"Paper-based computation is an expression of one future area for electronics - flexible and stretchable circuits," said Jean-Baptiste Labrune of the University of Paris-Sud in Orsay, France to New Scientist Tech in late 2007. "This means that we could think about computational objects without the traditional limits of electronics."

 

He was commenting on reports that MIT researchers are developing technology that could be used to make paper embedded with wires, sensors, and computer chips, creating what they call "pulp-based" computing. The MIT researchers are working with Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. They are blending traditional paper-making techniques with electronic components. MIT researcher Marcelo Coelho says paper-making is an ancient process, but the ability to make paper responsive and interactive has only recently become available. They produce a layer of paper pulp, add wires and print conductive ink then add another layer of pulp, press and dry, thus embedding the electronics in the paper. The pulp based electronics can even embody speakers and touch sensors.

 

Double layering of conductive ink results in paper that senses when it is being bent. This could be used to add sounds to books for interactive story telling. The researchers say this technique could also be used to make cardboard boxes that can sense the weight is inside them by measuring the stress on their walls. IDTechEx notes that one application may be monitoring how many pills were taken when - a lower cost version of the Aardex load cells in plastic bottles of medicine.

 

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