Several Boston-area universities will assist the U.S. Department of Defense in developing flexible hybrid electronics, such as wearable healthcare technology, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced in a Friday press release.
The Obama administration will award money to a group of 162 companies, universities and non-profits to establish the Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Flexible Hybrid Electronics. The institute is part of an initiative to partner with the private sector and academic institutions in order to boost the country’s manufacturing industry, according to the release.
“It’s a national effort to improve flexible hybrid electronics,” said James Watkins, a professor of polymer science and engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “We’re trying to make these devices both capable and cost effective.”
Along with UMass Amherst, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts Lowell will also contribute to research and development.
Flexible hybrid electronics refers to the production of electronics through high precision printing on flexible substrates, the release stated. Watkins described this process as a cross between computer technology and printing technology.
“We are working on a hybrid between printing technologies and today’s computer technology, in an effort to eventually move towards improving printing technology to create innovative products,” Watkins said. “We at UMass Amherst are trying to help make that transition to printing technology.”
Half of the funding for the project will come from the federal government and the rest will come from sources in Massachusetts, such as the governor’s office, Watkins said.
“In this case, Massachusetts is putting about $20,000 in bonds for those involved in the research,” he said. “That’s one nice way to build a nice collaboration between the Department of Defense and the companies involved in the research.”
One example of flexible hybrid electronic development would be sensors used to track body metrics, Watkins said.
“We might look at a patch sensor that could give you feedback about your physiological state, or a chip to give you feedback on specific levels within your body,” he said.
Several residents expressed excitement for Massachusetts universities to participate in the project, even though there are some monetary concerns.
Ryan Bunch, 28, of Brighton, said that he is excited about the idea of the DOD partnering with universities.
“It’s awesome that they’re using the universities across the country to do this,” he said. “That’s a really cool partnership that I’m sure would benefit everyone.”
May Lee, 66, of Allston, explained how she was a little surprised by the amount of money provided by the Commonwealth.
“It’s wonderful for the universities to be doing this research,” Smith said. “But I wonder how useful it is to be spending money to pay for half of the research.”
Carrie Brooks, 24, of Allston, said getting involved in the program shows how prestigious the universities are.
“I can’t imagine why it would be anything except helpful for Massachusetts to have its universities participating in the DOD program,” she said. “It obviously shows that we have high-caliber universities if they are able to do work like that.”
