A new biomedical technology, born out of micro-manufacturing called epidermal electronic system (EES) is ultra thin, self adhesive and calculates biomechanics wirelessly. This “stick-on tattoo” can effectively measure heart function, muscle activity and brain waves without weighing much and can operate on electromagnetic radiation or tiny solar panels.
This groudbreaking innovation is combined effort of various engineering researchers working at the borders of material science, electronics and biology.
The creators of the futuristic skin-mountable electrical patches hope that their devices will play a part in continuous monitoring of health and wellness in a natural environment during normal activity, recording behavioral patterns even during sleep.
“We think this could be an important conceptual advance in wearable electronics, to achieve something that is almost unnoticeable to the wearer,” said University of Illinois professor Todd Coleman, who co-led the multi-disciplinary team. “The technology can connect you to the physical world and the cyberworld in a very natural way that feels very comfortable.”
The researchers used simple adaptations of techniques used in the semiconductor industry, so the patches are easily scalable and manufacturable. The device company mc10, which the project leader John A. Rogers co-founded, is already working to commercialize certain versions of the technology.
“The blurring of electronics and biology is really the key point here,” said Dr Huang, one of the project collaborators.
“All established forms of electronics are hard, rigid. Biology is soft, elastic. It’s two different worlds. This is a way to truly integrate them.”