New Electronic Tattoos Can Alert You To Stress
When most of us think about temporary tattoos, we really only think about having something that is decorative. Electronic tattoos, however, go above and beyond and they can do more than look good, they can do good.
These electronic tattoos were developed over the past decade at the University of Texas in Austin. A laboratory manned by Nanshu Lu and some others developed these E tattoos and they are able to do some amazing things.
According to a press release, Nanshu explains that the tattoos are as stretchy as the skin. They also bring out the fact that our body is “radiating information” from every inch of the skin, which is why they are so beneficial.
These E-tattoos are able to diagnose when we are stressed out. If you suffer from depression or another mental health issue, they can really help out by allowing you to see what is going on inside of you.
Since the palm of the hand gives more information than any other part of the human body, the tattoos are placed there. According to WTKR News, Nanshu said that the palm has the highest density of sweat glands so when we have emotional swings, it lets us know.
A small smartwatch allows the team to monitor the electrodermal activity as it happens. They can see when the body is experiencing more stress.
Hopefully, these devices may provide an opportunity for a healthcare provider to gather data in real time. They could more easily diagnose the problem with depression or another psychiatric issue.
Nanshu realizes that this gets dangerously close to crossing the line between technological and human development. She hopes that the temporary tattoos are able to look at how we deal with stress and help us to deal with it successfully.
Check out the video below:
Thanks @CockrellSchool for reporting our work. Here’s an SI video demonstrating wireless EDA sensing using our 300-nm-thin graphene e-tattoo (EDA) laminated on the palm (small screen) vs gel electrodes (large screen) during daily activities such as running, sleeping and driving. https://t.co/VWBECOCUCQ pic.twitter.com/VSJAakwLLh
— Nanshu Lu @ UT-Austin (@nanshulu) December 3, 2022
