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Electronic skin tattoo has medical, gaming,
spy uses
A hair-thin electronic patch that adheres
to the skin like a temporary tattoo could transform medical sensing, computer
gaming and even spy operations, according to a US study published Thursday.
The micro-electronics technology, called an
epidermal electronic system (EES), was developed by an international team of
researchers from the United States, China and Singapore, and is described in
the journal Science.
“It’s a technology that blurs the
distinction between electronics and biology,” said co-author John Rogers, a
professor in materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign.
“Our goal was to develop an electronic
technology that could integrate with the skin in a way that is mechanically and
physiologically invisible to the user.”
The patch could be used instead of bulky
electrodes to monitor brain, heart and muscle tissue activity and when placed
on the throat it allowed users to operate a voice-activated video game with
better than 90 percent accuracy.
“This type of device might provide utility
for those who suffer from certain diseases of the larynx,” said Rogers. “It
could also form the basis of a sub-vocal communication capability, suitable for
covert or other uses.”
The wireless device is nearly weightless
and requires so little power it can fuel itself with miniature solar collectors
or by picking up stray or transmitted electromagnetic radiation, the study
said.
Less than 50-microns thick — slightly
thinner than a human hair — the devices are able to adhere to the skin without
glue or sticky material.
“Forces called van der Waals interactions
dominate the adhesion at the molecular level, so the electronic tattoos adhere
to the skin without any glues and stay in place for hours,” said the study.
Northwestern University engineer Yonggang
Huang said the patch was “as soft as the human skin.”
Rogers and Huang have been working together
on the technology for the past six years. They have already designed flexible
electronics for hemispherical camera sensors and are now focused on adding
battery power and other energy options.
The devices might find future uses in
patients with sleep apnea, babies who need neonatal care and for making
electronic bandages to help skin heal from wounds and burns.
(AFP)
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