Ever try to plug in your phone for the evening, but the cord just won't reach the nightstand? We may soon have a cure to one of tech's most common problems. Researchers at North Carolina State University developed wires that can stretch up to eight times their original length, while still maintaining functionality.
The creators filled the elastic polymer tubes with a liquid metal alloy of gallium and indium -- an efficient conductor of electricity.
“Our approach keeps the materials separate, so you have maximum conductivity without impairing elasticity," says Michael Dickey, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper on the research.
"Our wires are orders of magnitude more stretchable than the most conductive wires, and at least an order of magnitude more conductive than the most stretchable wires currently in the literature.”
Dickey says the wires can be used in all different types of tech, from headphones to cellphone chargers.
Before releasing these liquid metal wires to the public, the team has to solve the number-one issue facing this type of technology: minimizing leakage if the wires are severed.