(Our Tech Blog) Tattoos, other than as a form of art, can now also serve as a medical tool. Imagine, a tattoo that this one can monitor one's health.Of course, tattoos are created team of scientists from the University of Illinois is an intangible like tattoos in general. Tattoos are more like a chip attached to the skin of the patient.
Reported by New Scientist and quoted by detikINET on Friday (12/08/2011), tattoos, having attached to the patient's skin, so doctors will monitor his health could follow the developments and changes that occur in the patient.
"On average, health monitoring technologies that exist today are still too cumbersome to be carried anywhere by the patient. But electronic objects attached to the skin such as temporary tattoos, could revolutionize the way medical supervision," said John Rogers, who led the study.
Health world is already familiar with the use of a type of electrodes attached to the machine to monitor the heartbeat or brain activity. Roger mentioned, along with his team created a system that is different from the electrode system.
"This method is very useful for clinical settings, but in the real world tools such as these hold the movement of patients and often cause skin irritation," he explained.
Roger also got the idea to develop health monitors tattoo he called epidermal electronics. It is made of silicon and gallium arsenide are commonly used to build transistors, diodes and resistors. The combination of these ingredients are combined in a super small cable size, with a thickness of only a few nanometers only.
Within this elastic material, then implanted circuits that detect health conditions and send that information to the doctor or hospital. This tool can be used to monitor heart and various muscles and brain activity.