CONDUCTIVE NANOCOATING COULD LEAD TO WEARABLE DEVICES

Flexible is the new rigid in the gadget world, from OLED panels and e-paper displays to, of course, the adorable PaperPhone. Now researchers at North Carolina State University are hoping to take flexible to the next level by applying a conductive nanocoating – thousands of times thinner than a human hair – to ordinary textiles.

Their technique, called atomic layer deposition, grows an inorganic coating atop cloths like woven cotton. The treated fabric conducts electricity, opening the door to thin, wearable devices with the flexibility of everyday clothing. The technology's still in its nano-infancy, but who knows: maybe a few years from now you'll be sporting a genuinely playable Angry Birds shirt.

NANOTECH TO HELP EXTEND BATTERY LIFE

Adrian Ionescu of The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne recently spoke of their ambitious plan, which uses nanoscience and nanowires to "close" up leaky transistors, ultimately extending battery life. He further stated their "vision is to share this research to enable manufacturers to build the holy grail in electronics, a computer that utilizes negligible energy when it's in sleep mode, which we call the zero-watt PC."

According the US Department of Energy, the US spends around $4 billion each year on lost electricity. By adopting the forthcoming technology from Ionescu, we can drastically reduce this to almost zero. [Gizmodo]