Patent ID: 8526770

Claim:
A mechanical stress activated interface device comprising: a flexible substrate; a plurality of waveguides associated with the flexible substrate, wherein each of the plurality of waveguides comprises: piezo-optical core having a first side, a second side, a face, at least an end and a transverse length, and a cladding component disposed against the first side of the piezo-optical core and extending essentially along the transverse length of the piezo-optical core; and a plurality of light receiving elements, each of the plurality of light receiving elements being optically coupled to at least the end of one of the piezo-optical cores, wherein each piezo-optical core has an unstressed core index of refraction, and a stressed core index of refraction, and wherein the unstressed core index of refraction is less than the stressed core index of refraction, and wherein a light ray impinging on an interface between an unstressed piezo-optical core and the flexible substrate has a first transverse propagation value along the transverse length of the piezo-optical core, wherein a light ray impinging on an interface between a stressed piezo-optical core and the flexible substrate has a second transverse propagation value along the transverse length of the piezo-optical core, and wherein the second transverse propagation value is greater than the first transverse propagation value.