Electronic Skin

The microelectronics technology and subsequent miniaturization that began almost immediately after the transistor was invented have improved our lives through revolutionized computing and communication. The exponential rate of advancement that is described in Moore's Law has been propelled by $1Tr of investment over 50 years. Recent advances in the field pursued through “More than Moore” technology and propelled by applications such as wearable electronics and bendable displays. These applications require realizing electronics on unconventional substrates such as plastics. The possibility to realize sensitive electronics systems on large areas is another aspect of this burgeoning field, which will open new application avenues such as intelligent robotics enabled by conformable electronic skin wrapped around the body of a robot or artificial limbs. In this paper, I will summarize the results presented in the invited lecture on the development of flexible electronics in context with realizing electronics skin. Starting with the development of electronic skin using off-the-shelf sensors and electronic components on flexible printed circuit boards (PCB) and followed by various electronic skin approaches, the lecture concluded with a discussion on emerging novel approaches involving printed silicon nanowires.