Flexible alloy antennas have been developed that could create new possibilities for smart textiles, packaging and consumer electronics, reports technology news website Wired.
Researchers at North Carolina State University developed the flexible antennas by injecting the alloy material into small channels. The resulting device forms a skin that allows the alloy to retain its liquid properties, as the research paper in Advanced Functional Materials explains.
The device would be particularly useful for military applications, where rollable electronics are being developed. Another area is building integration, where the flexible antennas could stretch or contract as architecture does.
Documents and links
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North Carolina State University
Website for the US university, where the flexible antenna research took place
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Wired report
The tech news website looks at some of the potential uses for the devices
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