Imagine using a wearable device that is so thin and discreet that you’d hardly be aware that you were wearing it. Now Tufts engineers have created flexible electronics that could do just that. Made of thread-based integrated circuits that can bend, coil, stretch, and conform to the body’s contours and movements, the devices are designed to exist in free form, sewn into clothing or wrapped around curved and moveable surfaces.

These kinds of devices worn on the body or adhered to the skin could potentially track a wide range of biomarkers or environmental conditions, while AI-driven applications could synthesize the resulting data into useful insights for fitness, healthcare, and recovery from injury or disease.I

To accomplish this, Sameer Sonkusale, Jon A. Levy School of Engineering Professor, and his colleagues, including Matt Panzer, E Ink Professor of Engineering, created each of the components of complex integrated circuits—from transistors to sensors—in the form