drawn on skin sensor

has developed a new form of electronics known as "drawn-on-skin electronics," allowing multifunctional sensors and circuits to be drawn on the skin with an ink pen.

The advance, the researchers report in Nature Communications, allows for the collection of more precise, motion artifact-free health data, solving the long-standing problem of collecting precise biological data through a wearable device when the subject is in motion.

But even the most flexible wearables are limited by motion artifacts, or the difficulty that arises in collecting data when the sensor doesn't move precisely with the skin.

The electronics are able to track muscle signals, heart rate, temperature and skin hydration, among other physical data, he said. The researchers also reported that the drawn-on-skin electronics have demonstrated the ability to accelerate healing of wounds.

The drawn-on-skin electronics are actually comprised of three inks, serving as a conductor, semiconductor and dielectric.

reference

Faheem Ershad et al, Ultra-conformal drawn-on-skin electronics for multifunctional motion artifact-free sensing and point-of-care treatment, Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17619-1