Metamorphic Stretchable Touchpad

Abstract Conventional touchpads are an example of a common human–machine interface. They are rigid devices with a limited usability without any form of adaptability and conformity to different morphologies necessary for gaming and virtual reality applications. A metamorphic touchpad is an envisioned conceptual approach of shape changing electronics. To demonstrate this, a multipurpose touchpad able to serve as a flexible, 2D stretchable, and 3D metamorphic device is designed and fabricated. The approach replaces the rigid carrier and rigid interconnects by mechanically stretchable structures. The metamorphic touchpad can be wrapped around 3D shapes or undergo reversible topological changes from a conventional planar to a hemispheric shape.