Clinical laboratory IT solutions 'could be made to stretch'

Nanotechnology is unlocking new possibilities in clinical laboratory IT solutions, including flexible circuitry.

However, scientists at North Carolina State University have announced a further breakthrough in the form of elastic electronics.

Dr Yong Zhu, one of the team of researchers working on the project, stresses that the findings so far relate only to one-dimensional structures such as nanowires.

The scientists began by looking at the possibility of laying wires in a wave shape along a substrate, providing additional length that could be used under tension to extend the wire.

But they found weaknesses at the peaks of the wave pattern used - a problem overcome by forming the nanowires into spring-like coils.

Like springs, these can stretch under tension, allowing robust electronic circuitry to be created which could have applications in flexible and fabric-based design.

North Carolina State University scientists are also currently working on developments such as a radar system embedded into a shoe, for areas where GPS is unavailable.