Getting a permanent tattoo on the body always seemed like a crazy idea to me but it looks like scientists have finally made a development that would make this crazy hobby a bit useful. They have developed a tattoo-like machine that attaches to the body and effectively measures the vital signs of the person wearing it.
The electronic mesh is created by researchers of University of Illinois. It is capable of reading the vital signs of the person and transmitting it to the computer wirelessly. It is made up of electrodes, sensors, power, and a wireless communication system. It is so thin that when attached to the skin it appears as a tattoo instead of an electronic devices.
So what signs do this device measures you might be wondering. Well the tattoo-like device is capable of measuring hydration, temperature of body as well as strain applied on the area it is sticked on. The device can be applied by a rubber stamp and be used to monitor a patient’s condition after surgery. It can be wore for two weeks after which period it starts falling off.
The device wasn’t as thin as it is now when it was first invented. According to the scientists behind this project the initial model was made in a thicker form and had a rubber backing. The latest version is 1/13 of what it was before.
The goal of this research is to produce sensors and small portable devices that could be used to monitor the health of a patient while he or she lives on with the daily routine. The technologies like this are destined to change the field of medical and have a huge impact on how doctors and patients exchange information. The potential for the ‘tottoo-like’ devices is huge as we could imagine a similar device that could monitor the signs of any part of the body which has receive a surgery and notify users remotely about the condition of the operated area and if it is recovering as expected or not.