Implantable LED Array Gets Under the Skin

A team of scientists at the University of Illinois (UI; Urbana-Champaign) is developing a flexible and implantable LED array. Collaborating with researchers from China, South Korea, and Singapore, John Rogers, UI professor of materials science and engineering, is using ultrathin sheets of inorganic LEDs and photodetectors to fabricate the array. 

According to the researchers, the lights can bend and twist as much as 75%, preventing them from interfering greatly with movement. The LEDs are encapsulated in a thin layer of silicon rubber to allow them to function well when implanted or when immersed in liquids.

Potential applications include medical monitors and devices for activating photosensitive drugs. The researchers also believe that they can function in light-emitting sutures and implantable illuminated plasmonic crystals.

For more information on Rogers's research on LED technologies, see the Medtech Pulse blog "Researchers Combine the Advantages of Organic and Inorganic LEDs."