Monitoring Physiology with Electronic Skin

Beginning with electroencephalography in 1929, we have learned how to obtain clinically useful physiologic information with electrodes on the skin. Yet even today, such techniques require tapes, straps, needles, gels, wires, and separate electronic data collection boxes. Monitoring outside a laboratory or clinical setting for prolonged periods is difficult.

A multi-institutional engineering team centered at the University of Illinois reports the development of “epidermal electronic systems” (EES). The EES are extremely thin and flexible ribbons that contain miniaturized electrodes, sensors, wireless signaling components, and their own internal power supply. They can sense temperature, strain, and internal electrical signals. The EES are smal…