Electronic Tattoos Can Deliver Real-Time Vital Sign Measurements
Anyone who has ever been in a hospital knows about multitudes or machines and wires it can take to monitor a patient's condition. They can look more like a machine than a human! Science has found a solution for this predicament with a technology in the form of electronic tattoos.
Electronic tattoos are not actually ink of course. They consist of thin, flexible circuits, sensors and transmitters that can be less than a square inch in size. These tiny wires can provide doctors with real-time information about temperature, heart rate and many more measurements of vital signs. Critical information that used to take a room full of machines could be reduced to a small "tattoo" like structures.
Scientists and researchers have already planned many uses for these devices. There are many people who can't control their body temperature so the electronic tattoo could provide a constant and extremely accurate measurement of their body heat for them. Another application is the monitoring of newborns. Newborns in the NICU have so many machines that cover their small bodies and fragile skin. This introduces a problem because infants need human contact to develop a sense of security. Electronic tattoos provide a solution for them. These machines can also monitor the brain of the baby, providing insight developing cognitive and motor function.
I wanted to introduce this article because this technology is fantastic. The technology will not only help a patient physically, but also emotionally and psychologically. My cousin was recently in the hospital. She was covered by so many machines that we could barely see her. Having a monitoring system this small could have provided her with a less restrictions to move around, make her less self conscious about her appearance, and given our family with a degree of comfort.
To read more:
http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/15/4724528/ultrathin-wearable-thermometer-watches-heat-move-through-bloodhttp://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/feature/hugs_from_mom_and_dad_without_the_wires/
Electronic tattoos are not actually ink of course. They consist of thin, flexible circuits, sensors and transmitters that can be less than a square inch in size. These tiny wires can provide doctors with real-time information about temperature, heart rate and many more measurements of vital signs. Critical information that used to take a room full of machines could be reduced to a small "tattoo" like structures.
Scientists and researchers have already planned many uses for these devices. There are many people who can't control their body temperature so the electronic tattoo could provide a constant and extremely accurate measurement of their body heat for them. Another application is the monitoring of newborns. Newborns in the NICU have so many machines that cover their small bodies and fragile skin. This introduces a problem because infants need human contact to develop a sense of security. Electronic tattoos provide a solution for them. These machines can also monitor the brain of the baby, providing insight developing cognitive and motor function.
I wanted to introduce this article because this technology is fantastic. The technology will not only help a patient physically, but also emotionally and psychologically. My cousin was recently in the hospital. She was covered by so many machines that we could barely see her. Having a monitoring system this small could have provided her with a less restrictions to move around, make her less self conscious about her appearance, and given our family with a degree of comfort.
To read more:
http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/15/4724528/ultrathin-wearable-thermometer-watches-heat-move-through-bloodhttp://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/feature/hugs_from_mom_and_dad_without_the_wires/
posted by MargaretKendrick at 4:39 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home