New study shows benefits of electronic skin patches for health monitoring

Scientists in the US have demonstrated the benefits of soft stick-on patches in providing a more sophisticated form of health monitoring.

A team from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University have created patches that stick to the skin like a temporary tattoo, incorporating a microfluidic construction that allow wires to fold and move with the skin.

This means the patch can bend and flex without being constrained by rigid electronics components, allowing them to be used in conjunction with off-the-shelf chip-based electronics for sophisticated wireless health monitoring.

Potential applications include stress tests, sleep monitoring, EKG and EEG testing or everyday health tracking.

Yonggang Huang, the Northwestern University professor who co-led the work with Illinois professor John Rogers, said: "If we can continuously monitor our health with a comfortable, small device that attaches to our skin, it could be possible to catch health conditions before experiencing pain, discomfort and illness."

This comes after the University of Texas in Austin recently created a similar wearable patch device for use in the delivery of treatment for movement-related disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.