Credit: Saarland University
Hi everyone. Been battling “the blues” for a few days. I still am, but less so, so I thought I’d “get back on the horse” so to speak.
Scientists from Germany’s Saarland University, led by Prof. Jürgen Steimle, have been developing a technology for the past three years which they’ve called Multi-Touch Skin. The devices, which are a thin layer of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic over-printed with an inkjet printer in less than a minute, can be adhered to the skin anywhere on the body. These are wired to a touch-controller chip which is then connected to a Raspberry Pi Zero, powered by batteries. The Zero then triggers a response based on the type of touch recorded. At present, these actions have included:
- a bracelet on which a two-finger rotation allows users to change the color of an LED lamp and on which a two-finger sweep controls the brightness
- a behind-the-ear sticker that lets users control the volume of a music player by swiping up or down, advance through tracks by swiping left or right, and pause playback by pressing
- a forearm sticker that, when squeezed, causes a smartphone to send a text message
- a palm-mounted sticker that lets users accept or reject calls from a smartphone, with a touch.