January 22, 2008 9:00 AM PST
The circuits in the lens are just a few nanometers thick, and the light-emitting diodes are one-third of a millimeter across. Working on this tiny scale, the researchers used a microfabrication technique known as self-assembly, in which a component's shape dictates how and where it attaches on top of a flexible plastic sheet.
As the team continues to work on the basic technology, it hopes to add wireless communication capabilities and to provide power to the system using both radio-frequency techniques and solar cells placed on the lens.
Photo by University of Washington
