A colorful shark painted on your hand might look like a temporary tattoo.However, the design could also monitor the electrical activity of your heart.
Penn State engineers have developed a paint-on electronic tattoo made from conductive ink.Researchers apply the ink directly to the skin, where it dries into a working electrode.The team can add food dye to create almost any color or design.
Therefore, a medical sensor could look more like face paint than a clinical patch.Penn State has filed a provisional patent for the technology.
The researchers published their findings earlier this month, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.WOULD YOU TRUST A TINY DENTAL ROBOT?Food dye allows the washable medical sensor to resemble colorful body art instead of a traditional hospital-style electrode.(Wanqing Zhang/Penn State)Free live CyberGuy class: Sick of Spam? Join us July 22Join us this Wednesday, July 22, at 1 PM ET for a free CyberGuy Live class that will help you cut down on robocalls, spam texts, junk email and other unwanted messages.
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You’ll also receive our spam-stopping checklist, and every registrant will get a link to the class recording afterward.Reserve your free spot today at CyberGuyLive.com.Researchers created the ink by mixing several polymers and acidic additives into a water-based solution.The wet material has a glue-like consistency.
Once painted onto the body, it dries in less than 10 minutes.A hair dryer can shorten the drying time.After it dries, the ink becomes an electrode that collects electrical signals from the body.
Because researchers paint it directly onto the skin, the ink follows tiny ridges and uneven areas.That close contact can produce more reliable measurements.Many traditional electrodes use rigid m...