Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) believe a new study may lead to a new way to control the fabrication of stretchable electronics.
The technology, which could allow sensors and other electronic equipment to be embedded into clothing, surgical gloves and electronic paper, has been tricky to engineer due to the risk of wiring damage.
However, the research team took inspiration from the way stickers peel from windows to put forward the idea of creating delaminated surfaces which allow wires to move with the material without breaking.
Researcher Dominic Vella commented: "Delamination blisters have a characteristic size that they try to choose for themselves.
"We've characterised this size so that in principle it can be determined just from the parameters of a given system."
The MIT recently bestowed its $500,000 Lemelson-MIT prize on Professor Chad Mirkin for his 380 manuscripts and 350 patents and applications relating to nanotechnology.