New Super-Thin, Tattoo-Like 'E-Skin' Can Measure Heart Rate, Blood Sugar And Oxygen

By R. Siva Kumar - 17 Apr '16 09:11AM

Experts from the University of Tokyo have created an ultrathin, ultra flexible protective layer. It was an exceptionally unique device that created an "air-stable, organic light emitting diode (OLED) display," that could help to make e-skins monitoring blood oxygen, sugar levels, and heart rate.

Scientists are working hard to create electronic devices that can be integrated into the human body to enhance its function in medical applications. The study takes the scientists close to their goal.

Functional e-skin can be created with technology that is thin and flexible so that it can reduce its effect on areas they attach to. Most glass or plastic devices have got limited flexibility, although their organic counterparts do not have the stability needed to survive in air.

Now the team has created a high-quality protective film less than two micrometers thick. It has enabled the production of ultrathin, ultra flexible and high-performance wearable e-skins.

It is made from alternating layers of silicon oxynitride, which is inorganic, and perylene, which is organic. It works as a protective layer to block the passage of oxygen and water vapor into the air, enabling longevity of many days. This is a big improvement over the short-lived devices in earlier projects.

The team also used transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes to create polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) and organic photodetectors (OPDs) thin enough to be attached to the skin, even as they showed a high level of flexibility, allowing it to crumble and stretch, but ruling out damage.

The potential of the OLED device was demonstrated by the creation of e-skin to regulate blood oxygen.

"The advent of mobile phones has changed the way we communicate," said Takao Someya, a professor at the University of Tokyo and senior author of the study. "While these communication tools are getting smaller and smaller, they are still discrete devices that we have to carry with us."

"What would the world be like if we had displays that could adhere to our bodies and even show our emotions or level of stress or unease?" he added. "In addition to not having to carry a device with us at all times, they might enhance the way we interact with those around us or add a whole new dimension to how we communicate."

The findings were published iApril 15, 2016, issue of the journal Science Advances.