Taking
advantage of recent advances in flexible electronics, researchers have devised
a way to “print” devices directly onto the skin so people can wear them for an
extended period while performing normal daily activities. Such systems could be
used to track health and monitor healing near the skin’s surface, as in the
case of surgical wounds.
So-called
“epidermal electronics” were demonstrated previously in research from the lab of John Rogers, a materials scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; the
devices consist of ultrathin electrodes, electronics, sensors, and wireless
power and communication systems.
