Unlike smartwatches or augmented reality glasses, the team at the University of Tokyo built a flexible, thin electronic circuit that can be adhered directly to the user's skin.
"The display we have developed is an extremely thin and soft stretchable electronic device, and can wirelessly connect to and exchange data with a device such as a smartphone," said Takao Someya, a professor at the university who led the research team.
The display, which uses organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology, has 16 by 16 pixels and is about as large as a postage stamp, although the researchers said they could make the display larger.
The scientists developed a system to transfer pixels of the desired character images to the skin display from the smartphone. An electric current is applied to the skin display to wirelessly transmit the character image data from the smartphone and display the image on the skin.
"If the user operates a smartphone, text such as a short message or an email notification will be displayed on the skin display," Someya said.
The researchers said that the display, which is only 0.03 millimetres thick, is "remarkably soft" and can stick to the skin "like temporary tattoos".
The device was also able to withstand bending, twisting and stretching, without becoming damaged -- important criteria for a wearable technology that may need to be worn over joints, they said.
The researchers are hoping the technology could be used for applications including wearable electronics, medical care, and entertainment, such as dynamic tattoos that change and move.
