Researchers develop an ultra-thin electronic tattoo for medical diagnostics

A team of innovative researchers under John Rogers of the Urbana-Champaign University, Illinois, has designed a groundbreaking device to track day-to-day physical condition of patients. It is a tattoo-like skin-thin patch that can be stuck into the skin of patients so that doctors and nurses can monitor the health of patients undergoing treatment.

Epidermal Electronics

The revolutionary technology can seize beat of the electrophysiological signals from the heart, muscles, brain, and several other body parts of the patients, the researchers said. What makes the device perfect is that it can be attached to the body like a tattoo. Patients will not have to carry the burden of bulky electronics and electrodes that are used in conventional health tracking systems. Roger and team have called the new device an “epidermal electronics” because it is glued into the skin. Moreover, the device grabs physical condition updates from one’s body through its incorporation with the skin. All the developments in the body of a patient will be collected by the device thanks to its advanced electronic components.

According Roger, the ‘tattoo’ patch is produced integrating several materials like silicon and gallium arsenide that are commonly used to build transistors and resistors. The components are put into a patch of rubber with wires of nanometer thickness. The rubber is embedded with a water soluble plastic sheet. The final result will be a 40 micrometers patch that is to be applied as the ‘tattoo’ in the body.

Epidermal Electronics

As it is known, patients can stick the patch anywhere in the body. It seems that the stylish tattoo can even be combined with the traditional tattoo in the body. Signals from the device will be delivered through a computer algorithm that will decipher the health conditions of patients to the concerned medical team. It will help the physicians to attain better updates of the patient’s physical condition especially heart beats and developments in the muscles and brain. That means emergency situations can be met on time. However, the technology is still in its infancy stage, the developers say. Though the research team has demonstrated how it works, some more significant developments need to be made. The biggest drawback of the technology at the moment is that researchers have not integrated a wireless transmitter on the device. That means the tattoo needs to be connected with a computer using a wire.

Rogers says that the technology has been found to be successful in rats. However, it is yet to be used in human body. The technology will be developed further once it is tested on humans. After the developments, the study will be published in a science journal, he added.

Via: Newscientist