Ultrathin skin display holds promise Recognizing the need to provide wearable solutions for self care and enhanced information access from the home—especially for the aging population—Professor Takao Someya and his research team are part of a collaboration between academia and industry at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Engineering.
Their newly developed “ultrathin,” user-friendly skin electronics system, which will arrive on the market in the next few years, combines a flexible display with a lightweight sensor to monitor a patient’s vitals. Medical data are measured using a breathable on-skin electrode sensor and wireless communication module. An electrocardiogram, for instance, can either be remotely accessed and displayed as a moving waveform or stored for future review.
“Our new integrated skin display exhibits simple graphics with motion,” says Someya. The soft, flexible skin display is about one millimeter thick. It can be stretched by as much as 45 per cent of the original length, has superior resistance to wear and tear, and can be worn on the back of the hand without causing inflammation or losing its electrical and mechanical properties.
It is also an ideal home-monitoring tool for those who have difficulty operating existing devices and want something non-invasive. Move over, Fitbit!
