Method for Manufacturing Shape-Retaining Non-Flat Devices

A method of manufacturing a flat device, the method comprising:

• providing a layout of a non-flat device, the non-flat device having a shape with a surface comprising a non-flat surface part, the non-flat device comprising at least one element positioned at a predetermined location on the surface, the non-flat device comprising a device perimeter delineating a device area of the non-flat device;
• defining a design area for the layout of the flat device, the design area comprising a flat device area corresponding to the device area of the non-flat device after deformation, the design area further comprising a border area adjacent to the flat device area;
• if the layout of the non-flat device comprises less than three elements, inserting at least one additional element at a predetermined location within the design area to obtain at least three elements;
• selecting at least two pairs of elements, each pair of elements consisting of a first element and a second element;
• calculating for each selected pair of elements a distance between the predetermined location of the first element and the predetermined location of the second element,
• wherein the distance for each selected pair is calculated as the shortest distance between the first element and the second element over the surface of the non-flat device, and
• wherein the number of pairs for which a corresponding distance is calculated is selected to define the position of the at least one element on the surface, wherein the position of the at least one element comprises zero or less degrees of freedom;
• and
• inserting the at least three elements at a location within the design area corresponding to each of the at least three elements predetermined locations after deformation;
• and
• inserting within the design area for each selected pair of elements a layout of a mechanical interconnection between the first element and the second element,
• wherein at least part of each of the mechanical interconnections is stretchable, and
• wherein each of the mechanical interconnections has a centerline in a longitudinal direction with a total length at least equal to the corresponding calculated distance between the corresponding first element and second element, thereby obtaining a layout of a flat device;
• and
• fabricating the flat device in accordance with the layout of the flat device, wherein fabricating the flat device comprises forming mechanical interconnections by providing a patterned layer of a non-stretchable flexible material, the layer being patterned in accordance with the layout of the flat device,
• thereby obtaining a flat device.

An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

• providing a layout of a non-flat device, the non-flat device having a shape with a surface comprising a non-flat surface part, the non-flat device comprising at least one element positioned at a predetermined location on the surface, the non-flat device comprising a device perimeter delineating a device area of the non-flat device;
• defining a design area for the layout of a flat device, the design area comprising a flat device area corresponding to the device area of the non-flat device after deformation, the design area further comprising a border area adjacent to the flat device area;
• if the layout of the non-flat device comprises less than three elements, inserting at least one additional element at a predetermined location within the design area to obtain at least three elements;
• selecting at least two pairs of elements, each pair of elements consisting of a first element and a second element;
• calculating for each selected pair of elements a distance between the predetermined location of the first element and the predetermined location of the second element,
• wherein the distance for each selected pair is calculated as the shortest distance between the first element and the second element over the surface of the non-flat device, and
• wherein the number of pairs for which a corresponding distance is calculated is selected to define the position of the at least one element on the surface, wherein the position of the at least one element comprises zero or less degrees of freedom;
• and
• inserting the at least three elements at a location within the design area corresponding to each of the at least three elements predetermined locations after deformation;
• and
• inserting within the design area for each selected pair of elements a layout of a mechanical interconnection between the first element and the second element,
• wherein at least part of each of the mechanical interconnections is stretchable, and
• wherein each of the mechanical interconnections has a centerline in a longitudinal direction with a total length at least equal to the corresponding calculated distance between the corresponding first element and second element, thereby obtaining a layout of a flat device.