Val Marinov, Ph.D., associate professor, University of North Dakota-Fargo and his team have created a new form of “smart” materials using RFID technology.

Using their patent-pending process called Laser Enabled Advanced Packaging (LEAP), ultra-thin RFID chips are assembled and transferred to a flexible substrate.

Twice as fast and lower cost than current manufacturing processes, LEAP assembles chips with dimensions, such as thickness, well below those possible using conventional methods. This opens the door for RFID chips to be used in flexible packaging and hygiene products such as adult incontinence, diapers and pull-ups.

When wet, the diaper could alert nurses and care-givers that the product has reached end of life and help reduce the number of diapers changes saving time and money. Future applications include sport apparel and pharmaceuticals and other applications where product feedback is valuable. Dr. Marinov will present more about this break-through technology at RISE 2013.