Now the science of this is just a touch above my pay grade, but this is apparently a proof of concept for the use of ionic conductors to carry electrical charge instead of electrons. These ionic conductors can be soft, stretchy, and completely transparent, things most electronics aren’t good at doing. This breakthrough could open all kinds of doors for “soft” electronics, and as the human body uses ions to transfer information (think signals from nerves to the brain and heart), we could be looking at the beginnings of better bio-engineering. A new generation of artificial organs and limbs could be on the horizon.
As it stands now, we have one really interesting commercial application on display in the attached video. Speaker systems which are completely transparent. Might not be a ton of practical application for such a design, but I’m sure there are folks out there who would prefer their audio set up blended in with the more modern aspects of their home’s interior decor.
I guess we might see a new industry arise featuring “Consumer Ionics” instead of electronics?
(via Harvard Gazette)