The microphone operates in reverse, converting speech sound waves back into an electric signal, which can then be stored and played back by a smartphone or computer. Our ears pick up these changes in air pressure as sound waves. To build the speakers and the microphone, which are thinner than a temporary tattoo, the researchers needed to design electronics flexible enough to stretch and bend with the skin, without losing their capacity to conduct electricity and heat-both necessary to transmit audio signals.Īfter testing different materials, the scientists settled on grids of tiny silver wires coated with polymer layers, which were stretchy, transparent, and capable of conducting sound signals.Īfter receiving an electric audio signal from a music player, the tiny loudspeaker heats up the wire grid to about 33☌, which replicates the sound pattern by changing the pressure of the surrounding air. A similar device, described in the same study, acts as a microphone, which can be connected to smartphones and computers to unlock voice-activated security systems. Created in part to help the hearing and speech impaired, the new "smart skin" could be embedded into the ears-or into a patch on the throat. If you're prone to forgetting your headphones, new wearable technology that could turn your skin into a speaker should be music to your ears.
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