Sticky plaster developed to continuously monitor health

Purdue University researchers have created a “smart sticker” epidermal electronic device to monitor the sleeping patterns and health of both athletes and patients, and alert them to potential health issues in real time. The patented technology costs about 4p each to produce, and are made of biocompatible and breathable cellulose, and coated with molecules that repel water, oil, dust and bacteria. The pattern of the stickers is serpentine shapes to replicate thin and stretchable skin, so they are invisible but effective as electrophysiological sensors to record electrocardiograms, electromyograms, and electrooculograms.
Research team lead, Ramses Martinez, a Purdue assistant professor of industrial engineering and biomedical engineering, said: “For the first time, we have created wearable electronic devices that someone can easily attach to their skin and are made from paper to lower the cost of personalised medicine. The low cost of these wearable devices and their compatibility with large-scale manufacturing techniques will enable the quick adoption of these new fully disposable, wearable sensors in a variety of healthcare applications requiring single-use diagnostic systems.”