Futurity

Stretchy electronic ‘tattoo’ monitors heart disease

A new wearable device is so stretchy and lightweight that it can go directly onto a patient's heart to monitor heart disease.
A tattoo shop's neon sign is in the shape of a heart with an arrow through it

A new ‘electronic tattoo’ could make monitoring heart health easier and more accurate than existing methods.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing approximately 610,000 people yearly. The current method for monitoring the heart is the electrocardiography machine, also called EKG. It’s been the standard for decades.

University of Texas at Austin engineers made the wearable technology from stretchy, lightweight material, which make it possible to comfortably place the tattoo right over the heart for extended periods. The device is smaller than a credit card and thinner than a human hair.

Researchers in the same lab are currently working to make the system wireless and integrate the technology with a smartphone. The team says the device will provide greater insight into heart health and in real-time.

The National Science Foundation funded the research.

Source: National Science Foundation

The post Stretchy electronic ‘tattoo’ monitors heart disease appeared first on Futurity.

More from Futurity

Futurity3 min read
Does Your Dog Have ‘Rage Syndrome’?
Dog aggression can be unsettling, stressful, and even dangerous, not only for the dog but also for other pets, family members, and strangers. Because some forms of aggression are rare and unexpected, such as rage syndrome, Lori Teller, a clinical pro
Futurity4 min read
How Plants Shape Earth’s Climate
Plants are not simply victims of circumstances, but have helped to shape climate conditions on Earth, researchers report. Over the course of hundreds of millions of years, Earth has lived through a series of climatic shifts, shaping the planet as we
Futurity3 min readChemistry
Bacteria Could Replace Fossil Fuels For Making Valuable Chemicals
Researchers have engineered bacteria in the laboratory to efficiently use methanol. The metabolism of these bacteria can now be tapped into to produce valuable products currently made by the chemical industry from fossil fuels. To produce various che

Related Books & Audiobooks