Stretched target: 300X Arduino | Hackaday

The factory at Yale University has set itself many ambitious goals. We don’t mean this in the usual sense. They make, as you can see in the video below, clones of commercial devices that can stretch over 300%. They made Ardunios and similar controllers with sensors. The idea is to place computer circuits in flexible robots and other places where flexibility is key, such as wearable electronic devices.

If you are interested in details, read the article in Science Robotics. They take an existing PCB layout and use a laser to cut patterns into a paper mask onto a stretchable substrate. They then use oxidized gallium-indium to build conductors.

We’re not sure what we want from a stretchable Arduino, but we’re sure someone wants it. We also wonder how much stretching these devices can withstand before something happens. In the video, some of the movements looked quite violent! There are also photos of circuits twisting in strange ways.

The starfish-like robot shows how the Arduino controller bounces around like an artificial cowboy on a mechanical horse. On the other hand, a full-sized Arduino would not be practical. However, you could consider using small circuits, which is certainly possible these days.

Want to build your own? You’re in luck, because Faboratory has instructions and details on GitHub on how you can create your own flex circuit. Perhaps we’ll see a flexible SAO badge at Supercon this year? You might think that they are completely unique, but there have been many attempts at creating stretchable circuits, including several other DIY guides for various techniques.