Scientists are thrilled about the creation of a new class of devices, bendable antennas that could see numerous applications in the near future. Ranging from advanced portable devices to gadgets that need to be folded or rolled up before deployment could all benefit from the new instruments, which can be bent, twisted and stretched, before finally snapping back to their original layout. The devices were created at the North Carolina State University (NC State), whose experts say that there are still unsure about when their innovation could be put to practical use, LiveScience reports.

Ju-Hee So, a researcher for the new study, is currently working on an application that could see the twistable electronics used to restore at least partial sight to people who are visually impaired or blind. Future artificial eye could go well beyond than what early prototypes available at this point can do. The investigator believes that the antennas could also be used to measure deformities that appear in structures during an earthquake. The data could be used to inform architects and engineers of flaws in their original designs, and help them make better buildings.

The main difference between these antennas and already existing ones would be the fact that the innovative device would transmit data on a specific wavelength, whereas the old ones can change it. Details of the amazing achievement are published in the November 23 issue of the respected scientific journal Advanced Functional Materials. When placed inside a bridge, for example, the materials will be deformed by stretches or contractions in the structure, and thus change the frequency at which they are emitting. As such, engineers will be able to wirelessly track the changes that the bridge undergoes.

The basis for the new antenna is a flat piece of elastic silicon, with very small channels punched in it. Inside these holes, the researchers poured a groundbreaking alloy of gallium and indium, which allow the entire structure to function as a dipole device. The channels inside the silicon ribbon are only minimally thicker than the width of a human hair, the research team says. “The reason this works is that the bulk of it is like water, with low viscosity, but the surface oxidizes and forms a skin, and that skin is what holds it in the channel,” explains NC State expert Michael Dickey, the leader of the new research.