This smart skin is capable of monitoring your vital signs and sharing the information with your doctor.
Hong Kong (CNN) -
Doctors may be a few years away from being able to track your vital signs through an electronic skin you wear on your body.
Japanese researchers claim to have developed an ultra-thin and lightweight electronic skin that adheres to the chest area with a spray of water and can be worn for a week.
The technology was developed by Takao Someya, a professor at the University of Tokyo College of Engineering.
It has not yet undergone clinical trials, but Someya says it has started working with partners to develop manufacturing processes.
Made of a flexible material, polyvinyl alcohol, and coated with gold, the electronic skin is a portable sensor capable of capturing signals such as the heartbeat and electrical impulses from muscle movement.
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A small wireless transmitter strapped to the chest will send the heartbeat data to a
nearby
smartphone
or laptop, or to the cloud, allowing clinicians to monitor it remotely.
"Electronic skin is the next generation of
wearables,
" Someya tells CNN Business.
“Today, the main
wearables
are smart watches and glasses, which are bulky.
In contrast, electronic skin is thin, light, elastic and durable.
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Designed for seniors
Its latest electronic skin, also known as e-skin, has been designed with the rapidly aging Japanese population in mind. To make remote healthcare more effective, Someya says it is important to monitor the health of older people for long periods with great precision. Due to its durability, he claims that electronic skin is a powerful tool for managing chronic diseases such as diabetes, as well as heart failure. It can also help detect early signs of illness.
Someya is also developing an LED display, in collaboration with Dai Nippon Printing, which will be worn on the back of the user's hand.
Designed for the elderly or those with difficulties in using a smartphone, it will display the heartbeat data transmitted by the e-skin in the form of large, easy-to-understand graphs.
It can also display simple emojis, such as a heart and a rainbow, sent by friends and family from a
smartphone
, to help seniors feel connected to their loved ones.
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The e-skin market was worth an estimated $ 4.5 billion in 2019, according to a report by Grand View Research.
Since electronic skin is very flexible, and sometimes has the ability to repair itself, it can be used in robotics, prosthetics, and healthcare.
Someya and his team began developing electronic skin for robots in the early 2000s. And other research from his lab is being developed for the market through two spin-off companies: Signtle, for medical applications, and Xenoma, for clothing. smart.
Electronic skin for athletes
Xenoma has integrated electronic skin into pajamas that can control the temperature in bed, and into sportswear to monitor physical conditioning.
The company has partnered with taekwondo practitioner Mana Umehara to see how e-skin can benefit high-performance athletes.
Its technology tracks your body movements and sends the information to a laptop, where the software translates it into data displays.
This type of movement tracking often requires multiple cameras, Someya says.
During the pandemic, Umehara was unable to meet with her coach, but was able to send data from the e-skin technology clothing, so her performance could be remotely monitored.
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"Now I can receive more precise instructions with numbers to know how many centimeters I should extend [my movement] or how powerful it should be," he tells CNN Business.
Someya says 5G will have a "tremendous impact" on wearable technologies, including e-skin, by increasing the amount of data that can be transmitted wirelessly at high speed, allowing users to access their health information online. real time.
"The ultimate goal of e-skin is to control all types of human information with ease, anytime, anywhere, without disrupting daily activities," he says.
Electronic Skin Wearable
