- Graphene E-Tattoos are portable biosensors that adhere directly to the skin
- Researchers are now developing patches that can read connections in sweat
- These may indicate a variety of conditions as well as detect stress
Invisible sweat sensor could one day be used to detect health conditions. According to continuous research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where a laboratory develops Stick-on graph tattoos that can read and report on what’s in your sweat.
We have heard before that the portable sensors have the potential to revolutionize health surveillance. First developed by a team at Northwestern University, these electronic skin patches are made using the graph. Less than a millimeter thick, they are practically invisible and can be flexed with the skin. In the years to come, the idea is that we could carry these patches for real -time readings around the clock.
So far, the main focus of researchers has been how to use these biosensors to measure heartbeat and blood pressure – both key markers for potential health complications. However, the next generation of these patches could get data from another bodily source: sweat.
Sweat the little things
In 2017, researchers at the University of Texas created an even thinner version of a graphic bios sensor. One that was applied to the skin by moistening a sheet of transfer paper – just like a temporary tattoo. Using e-tattoos like this, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are now trying to exploit the sweat secrets.
According to Dmitry Kireev, a member of this team, sweat carries certain compounds out of the body and on the skin. The team’s first focus is cortisol, an indicator of stress, stroke and a number of other disorders.
Monitoring sweat is not a new persecution. Several laboratories are working on stick-on patches that do just that. Some change color when certain chemicals are present, while others are linked to large electrochemical sensors. Both require chambers to collect sweat. What makes Grafen-E-tattoos so exciting is that they don’t make it-to make them much smaller.
Simply put, the graph is used in itself as a transistor. When a particular substance in sweat meets molecules on the surface of the graph, an electrical signal is produced. Through changes in the resistance of the transistor, the amount of this substance is reported.
From the bottom, the hope is that these graphene-e-tattos can be used to detect other connections in sweat, including glucose, lactate and estrogen. These could in theory be used to indicate potential health problems.
Bear as a lifestyle accessory, e-tattoos could act as early indicators of certain conditions or simply as a source of additional data to feed with the best fitness apps. In a medical scenario, the biosensors could provide real -time data without the need for blood tests.
It’s all smart, but the laptop is still a way away. For the time being, the graphene-e-tattoos should still be wired up to an electronic circuit with a computer chip one a small one to transmit data from sweat. This means that they are not yet the flexible, invisible future of health care.
To reach this stage, researchers will need to create fully integrated circuits using the graph, including power sources and wireless transmitters. This process is likely to require some blood and tears beyond sweat. In the next decade, Kireev still predicts that we see sweating e-tattoos built into the best smartwatches.
