Researchers in South Korea are growing a brand new well being monitoring system within the type of an e-tattoo that may robotically alert the wearer to potential well being issues.
The crew on the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have created an digital tattoo ink manufactured from liquid steel and carbon nanotubes that successfully capabilities as a bioelectrode.
The system could possibly be used to ship a readout of the wearer’s very important indicators if linked to biosensors, together with as an example an electrocardiogram.
Alongside coronary heart charges it could possibly be used to learn glucose or lactate ranges for folks with diabetes or sepsis.
But the researchers plan to eliminate the biosensors and design the e-tattoo as a totally self-contained system.
“In the future, what we hope to do is connect a wireless chip integrated with this ink, so that we can communicate, or we can send signal back and forth between our body to an external device,” mentioned the mission chief Professor Steve Park.
The e-tattoo ink is non-invasive and does not require a needle to be implanted beneath the pores and skin like a standard tattoo.
It is made out of particles based mostly on gallium, a delicate, silvery steel additionally utilized in semiconductors and thermometers, whereas the platinum-decorated carbon nanotubes assist conduct electrical energy whereas additionally enhancing the sturdiness of the tattoo itself.
“When it is applied to the skin, even with rubbing the tattoo doesn’t come off, which is not possible with just liquid metal,” Professor Park mentioned.
Source: information.sky.com”