Skin is the body's largest organ, and is responsible for the transduction of a vast amount of information. This conformable, stretchable, self-healable and biodegradable material simultaneously collects signals from external stimuli that translate into information such as pressure, pain, and temperature. The development of electronic materials, inspired by the complexity of this organ is a tremendous, unrealized materials challenge. However, the advent of organic-based electronic materials may offer a potential solution to this longstanding problem. Over the past decade, we have developed materials design concepts to add skin-like functions to organic electronic materials without compromising their electronic properties. These new materials and new devices enabled arrange of new applications in medical devices, robotics and wearable electronics. In this talk, I will discuss basic material design concepts for realizing stretchable, self-healable and biodegradable conductive or semiconductive materials. I will show our methods for scalable fabrication of stretchable electronic circuit blocks. Finally, I will show a few examples of applications we are pursuing uniquely enabled by skin-like organic electronics when interfacing with biological systems.

Silicon resonant-cantilever MEMS structures have been broadly utilized for inertial sensors, bio/chemical sensors and frequency/time reference devices, etc. Being entirely different, a new application field of cantilever-based analytical instruments is opened up in recent years. Based on our developed resonant-cantilevers that feature sub-picogram mass-change resoluble detection and ultra-fast self-heating properties, a series of MEMS-chip style new instruments have been invented and produced. With the resonance-exciting actuator, frequency-shift readout element and controllable heating devices integrated on the silicon micro-cantilever, the resonant cantilever is enabled for real-time micro-gravimetric measurement and temperature-programmed analysis to the material sample pre-loaded at the cantilever end. Four kinds of new analytical instruments have been developed and promoted into enterprise product applications, which are: 1. A brand-new analytical instrument for online measuring thermodynamic/kinetic parameters of surface/interface molecular sorption/interaction, e.g., enthalpy, entropy, Gibbs free-energy, activation energy. 2. A new-generation micro temperature gravimetric analyzer (m-TGA) featuring much higher temperature-programmed analysis efficiency and greatly expanded analyte species. 3. The first in situ temperature-programmed desorption/reduction (TPD/TPR) analyzer with conventional exhaust-gas coarse-detection replaced by in situ direct precise-detection. 4. In situ TEM MEMS reactors for operando characterization of nanomaterials. It has been highly praised by the users that the MEMS based instruments greatly help the development of new materials for environmental protection, green petrochemical industry, catalytic science and drug discovery, etc. I will address the resonant-cantilever integration, novel analytical principles and wide applications of the scientific instruments.

Our goal is to realize an ion imaging system that can simultaneously visualize the two-dimensional distribution of chemical substances in real time. We believe that this technology will dramatically deepen our understanding of conventional medical and physiological fields. The role of bioactive substances in the extracellular microenvironment is important for understanding the function of brain neural networks. However, there has been no effective method to visualize the interaction of bioactive substances in the extracellular microenvironment. We have developed a "Multi-Ion Image Sensor" based on a CMOS Image sensor technique. Using this sensor chip, we have realized an "Ion Visualization System" that can visualize the two-dimensional distribution of chemical substances in real time and simultaneously understand the dynamics of chemical substances in the extracellular environment. In this presentation, we will introduce the results of our research using this sensor system, which was conducted in collaboration with researchers in the fields of medicine and physiology.

Micro-optical elements are diffractive or refractive optical components for focusing, collimation, light shaping or beam splitting. Micro-optics manufacturing technology had been developed at universities in the 1980s and was transferred to industry in the late 1990s. The basic idea behind is the parallel manufacturing of many miniaturized "planar" optical components on larger substrates or wafers. Planar optics was suggested first by Prof. Adolf Lohmann in the 1960s and has gained much importance today. Typical applications in laser beam shaping, fiber coupling (data/telecom), in medical, for sensors, cameras and many more.

In 2014 the Fraunhofer IOF in Jena presented a first microlens-based "light carpet" for decorative applications in automotive lighting. The fly's-eye configuration allows projection of sharp pattern on tilted or even curved surfaces with uniform intensity. Welcome light carpets have become standard for premium cars in the meantime. Applications for security (blinker, warning) are in development and might be standard in car industry within the next five years. More recently micro-optics is also used for head lights. First cars with microlens-based head lights are delivered to customers now. Microlens arrays (MLA) allow to shrink the head light of a car significantly, which is a major advantage regarding space, weight, and energy consumption especially for electric vehicles. MLA head lights could have any form or shape allowing full design freedom, like the recent trend to slim or ultra-slim head lights. Light is visible innovation for car industry and the new MLA technology is one of the most promising technology approaches today.