Glossary: Origami Electronics

The largest potential for printed electronics may be where nothing is replaced and totally new things become possible. Imaging you daughter fiddling with the cornflake packet while you eat your breakfast. Suddenly there is an electric aircraft circling your head. She has refolded the packet into an aircraft by following the instructions on it. It is the modern equivalent of the cut-out doll on the cornflakes of old. Because the paper of the packet has printed electronics on or in it we can reconfigure it into a totally new electronic or electric product. This is "origami electronics", a concept of ACREO and Linkoeping University in Sweden, as shown below. There will be many serious military and civil applications of this including multipurpose products and packaging that can become a product after use - the ultimate environmental package because nothing is thrown away.