Abstract: Packages made from flexible material, wherein the packages include one or more self-folds formed by applying activation energy to the flexible material.

Abstract: Materials and systems that enable high efficiency conversion of mechanical stress to electrical energy and methods of use thereof are described herein. The materials and systems are preferably used to provide power to medical devices implanted inside or used outside of a patient's body. For medical devices, the materials and systems convert electrical energy from the natural contractile and relaxation motion of a portion of a patient's body, such as the heart, lung and diaphragm, or via motion of body materials or fluids such as air, blood, urine, or stool. The materials and systems are capable of being bent, folded or otherwise stressed without fracturing and include piezoelectric materials on a flexible substrate. The materials and systems are preferably fashioned to be generally conformal with intimate apposition to complex surface topographies.

Abstract: The invention provides transient devices, including active and passive devices that physically, chemically and/or electrically transform upon application of at least one internal and/or external stimulus. Incorporation of degradable device components, degradable substrates and/or degradable encapsulating materials each having a programmable, controllable and/or selectable degradation rate provides a means of transforming the device. In some embodiments, for example, transient devices of the invention combine degradable high performance single crystalline inorganic materials with selectively removable substrates and/or encapsulants.

Abstract: Disclosed are appendage mountable electronic systems and related methods for covering and conforming to an appendage surface. A flexible or stretchable substrate has an inner surface for receiving an appendage, including an appendage having a curved surface, and an opposed outer surface that is accessible to external surfaces. A stretchable or flexible electronic device is supported by the substrate inner and/or outer surface, depending on the application of interest. The electronic device in combination with the substrate provides a net bending stiffness to facilitate conformal contact between the inner surface and a surface of the appendage provided within the enclosure. In an aspect, the system is capable of surface flipping without adversely impacting electronic device functionality, such as electronic devices comprising arrays of sensors, actuators, or both sensors and actuators.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide a real time cash incentive to a user for purchasing merchandise via a web-based portal. The method includes receiving a product definition and a personal credential from the user, and periodically retrieving price quotes for the defined product from a plurality of retail sites. The plurality of retail sites are partitioned into groups based on a confidence level assigned to each site. A fair market value (FMV) is calculated for the defined product by applying a weighted algorithm to the retrieved price quotes within each of the groups. Using the web-based portal, the calculated FMV of the defined product is displayed with a plurality of links to a subset of the retail sites having price quotes within a predetermined range of the FMV.

Abstract: Provided are methods of making a transient electronic device by fabricating one or more inorganic semiconductor components, one or more metallic conductor components or one or more inorganic semiconductor components and one or more metallic conductor components supported by a mother substrate. The components may independently comprise a selectively transformable material and, optionally, further have a preselected transience profile. The components are transfer printed, thereby decoupling the component fabrication step from additional processing to provide desired device functionality and transient properties. A substrate layer is provided on top of the components and used to facilitate handling, processing, and/or device functionality.

Abstract: The invention provides systems and methods for wearable and tissue-mounted electronics for monitoring exposure of a subject or object to electromagnetic radiation, particularly electromagnetic radiation in the visible, ultraviolet and infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some embodiments, the devices are purely passive devices where absorption of incident electromagnetic radiation by the device provides at least a portion of the power for the measurement of the radiant exposure or flux of the incident electromagnetic radiation. Devices of the invention may include near field communication components, for example, for enabling readout by an external device, such as a computer or mobile device.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for normalizing hotel rooms across independent distribution channels. The method includes creating a meta-category matrix of sameness metrics for the hotel rooms based on a set of attributes. Room descriptions for a plurality of the hotel rooms are retrieved from a plurality of the independent distribution channels. Equivalent hotel rooms are automatically assigned to the same meta-category based on a rule set applied to the retrieved room descriptions and the set of attributes. Hotel rooms that do not correspond to one of the meta-categories are identified, and are manually assigned to a meta-category. The rule set is then revised based on the manual assignment.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for incentivizing a user to purchase a cruise. A shopping portal is provided to the user that includes a plurality of products for purchase. For each purchase transaction completed by the user, a fair market value (FMV), a cost basis, and a gross margin are determined, wherein the gross margin is based on the difference between the FMV and the cost basis. A portion of the gross margin is allocated to a savings account associated with the user. The savings account can then be applied to the purchase price of a cruise.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide a real time cash incentive to a user for purchasing a hotel room using a web-based portal. The method includes prompting the user to provide a date, a geographic location, and a credential, then determining a consumer class and a lifetime value for the user based on the credential. Respective price quotes are received from a plurality of remote websites based on the date and geographic location. A weighted algorithm is applied to the price quotes to determine a fair market value (FMV), wherein the weights are based on the consumer class. A member preferred rate (MPR) is determined based on the FMV and the lifetime value, wherein the difference between the MPR and the FMV comprises a savings value. The method further includes displaying, on a user interface associated with the web-based portal, the FMV, the MPR, and indicia of the plurality of remote websites upon which the FMV is based.

Abstract: Systems and methods for dynamically configuring a user interface for multiple uniquely branded sites is provided. The method includes receiving, from a user, a credential and a selected product category. The method includes executing one of a number of business rule sets based on a brand identifier for a site. A number of price points are retrieved from remote servers using the retrieved product rule set. A fair market value (FMV) for the requested product using the plurality of price points. A cost basis for the requested product is retrieved from a database. A member preferred rate (MPR) for the requested product is calculated based on the FMV, the cost basis, the executed business rule set, and the lifetime value. The FMV, MPR, and a plurality of hyperlinks corresponding to a subset of the plurality of remote servers are displayed simultaneously via the user interface.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are stretchable, foldable and optionally printable, processes for making devices and devices such as semiconductors, electronic circuits and components thereof that are capable of providing good performance when stretched, compressed, flexed or otherwise deformed. Strain isolation layers provide good strain isolation to functional device layers. Multilayer devices are constructed to position a neutral mechanical surface coincident or proximate to a functional layer having a material that is susceptible to strain-induced failure. Neutral mechanical surfaces are positioned by one or more layers having a property that is spatially inhomogeneous, such as by patterning any of the layers of the multilayer device.

Abstract: The present invention is a high resolution, multi-function, conformal electronics device generally having a flexible and stretchable, high-density electrode array, integrated with a catheter (e.g., balloon catheter) for mapping, ablating, pacing and sensing of cardia tissue associated with heart arrhythmias. The active sensing electrode array can acquire diagnostic information including electrical (e.g., electrograms), mechanical (e.g., strain measurements), impedance (e.g., resistance), metabolic (e.g., pH or NADH measurement) from the underlying heart tissue surface with which it is in contact. The electrode array may be designed to be of various sizes and shapes to conform to the targeted cardiac tissue architecture (e.g. atrial, ventricle, right ventricular outflow tract, coronary sinus, pulmonary veins, etc.) corresponding to the specific type of cardiac arrhythmia. The present invention can precisely locate the source of arrhythmia as described above and deliver therapy from the same electrode array.

Abstract: Disclosed are appendage mountable electronic systems and related methods for covering and conforming to an appendage surface. A flexible or stretchable substrate has an inner surface for receiving an appendage, including an appendage having a curved surface, and an opposed outer surface that is accessible to external surfaces. A stretchable or flexible electronic device is supported by the substrate inner and/or outer surface, depending on the application of interest. The electronic device in combination with the substrate provides a net bending stiffness to facilitate conformal contact between the inner surface and a surface of the appendage provided within the enclosure. In an aspect, the system is capable of surface flipping without adversely impacting electronic device functionality, such as electronic devices comprising arrays of sensors, actuators, or both sensors and actuators.

Abstract: A delayed coking unit has a thermal shock-resistant, erosion-resistant internal lining to reduce thermally-induced mechanical stresses in the pressure boundary of the coke drum. The lining is effective to reduce or mitigate the transient thermal stress that occurs in the pressure boundary of the coke drum and to reduce or minimize the high thermal stress resulting from temperature differentials at the skirt-to-shell junction.

Abstract: A transfer printing process that exploits the mismatch in mechanical or thermo-mechanical response at the interface of a printable micro- or nano-device and a transfer stamp to drive the release of the device from the stamp and its non-contact transfer to a receiving substrate are provided. The resulting facile, pick-and-place process is demonstrated with the assembling of 3-D microdevices and the printing of GAN light-emitting diodes onto silicon and glass substrates. High speed photography is used to provide experimental evidence of thermo-mechanically driven release.

Abstract: Provided are fully implantable soft medical devices and related methods. The devices comprise stretchable electronic devices between on an elastomeric substrate and an elastomeric super-state. Electronic components of the electronic device are configured to interface with tissue. Wireless power and control systems provide wireless power and control of the electronic components, thereby providing the fully implantable functionality. The devices may have a plurality of independently addressable electronic components, such as LEDs. In this manner, wireless control of a single implanted device may still provide multi-functional capabilities, including in a multiplexed configuration.

Abstract: Systems and methods of the invention generally relate to altering the functionality of a non-transient electronic device. A container holding an agent is located proximal to a non-transient electronic device capable of performing at least one function. The agent is capable of rendering the device incapable of performing the at least one function. The container is configured to controllably release the agent to the electronic device in a variety of passive and active eventualities.

Abstract: The invention provides transient devices, including active and passive devices that electrically and/or physically transform upon application of at least one internal and/or external stimulus. Materials, modeling tools, manufacturing approaches, device designs and system level examples of transient electronics are provided.