wearable electronics Archives

Tonic thermoelectric materials – powering future technology

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Professor Xiao-ming Tao investigates the effect of phase transition on thermoelectric properties of ionic sol-gel materials.

Are you wearing a smartwatch? If so, what powers it? Chances are, it’s charged using mains electricity. But soon your body’s heat could be powering your wearable devices, using thermopower. Thermoelectric (TE) generators convert thermal energy into electricity. However, conventional TE generators typically can’t provide the voltage levels needed in small, wearable devices. But ionic thermoelectric materials (i-TE materials) can. […]

Shape-shifting materials: Extreme deformation of particle rafts

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Professor Ho-Young Kim has built and modelled particle rafts and soft materials using electronic fields which could be used in soft robotics or biomedicine

How can we bend matter to our will? Folding patterns, as employed in origami, imply severely limited shape-shifting possibilities. These soft materials also need to have the right shape-morphing properties to be useful for their desired application. Professor Ho-Young Kim at Seoul National University has been building and modelling particle rafts – new soft composite interfaces with superior deformability, that […]

Volumetric representations
could revolutionise 3D printing

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Additive manufacturing can produce objects with hollowed out insides or heterogeneous materials.

The world of manufacturing is facing a massive game change. For half a century, subtractive manufacturing (SM) has reigned king. In SM, a cutter removes material from a homogeneous block until the desired shape is formed. Additive manufacturing is a major industry waiting just around the corner – and with it, the opportunity to design in a more flexible way. However, […]