The next generation of wearable devices dedicated tohealthcare she is just born and is at a high degree of innovation.
As reported by the CNN, a group of Japanese researchers has developed a “electronic skin” ultrathin and lightweight capable of tracking i vital signs of the wearer. L’e-skin, as it was named, is attached to the patient’s chest area using water spray and can be worn for a week before being replaced.
However, the concept of “electronic skin” is not new: about a year ago, the California Institute of Technology had designed a rubber e-skin containing a series of sensors that monitor parameters such as heart rate, body temperature, blood sugar and other metabolic by-products through the sweat.
According to what is learned, the technology behind the “new” e-skin, developed by Takao Someya, professor of the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering, has yet to undergo clinical tests, but work has already started with the partners to develop the production processes.
Made with a flexible material, thepolyvinyl alcohol, the e-skin is nothing more than a wearable sensor capable of detecting vital signs such as the heartbeat he electrical impulses by muscle movement. A little wireless transmitter fixed to the chest will send the detected data to a smartphone or laptop located nearby or directly to a cloud, allowing physicians to monitor the patient remotely.
Thanks to its performance, in the first place the time, the e-skin represents a potential, revolutionary tool for the monitoring of chronic diseases as the diabetes and heart failure, capable, among other things, of intercepting signals that could be harbingers of serious pathologies.
Someya, as explained by the US newspaper, is also developing a display a LED to wear on back of people’s hand, designed especially for the elderly or more generally for those who have difficulty using a smartphone, which shows data on the heartbeat transmitted by the e-skin in the form of graphs easily understandable. This particular wearable can also show simple on the hand emoji, like a heart or a rainbow, sent from a smartphone. In this way people, especially the elderly (often in conditions of solitude) can receive affection from friends and relatives.
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The e-skin has also been incorporated into a pajamas which controls body temperature and in one tracksuit for fitness monitoring with the aim of testing its performance in relation to the performance of competitive athletes. The electronic skin tracks body movements and sends the collected information to a laptot, whose software translates and displays it in the form of data.
The CNN cites the example of the Taekwondo athlete, Mana Umehara: in full pandemic, unable to train in the gym, she wore clothing equipped with e-skin that allowed her coach to remotely monitor her performance thanks to the data sent by the suit.
According to Someya, it will be the 5G to play a pivotal role in the scenario of wearable technologies, first of all the electronic skin, increasing the quantity and speed of transmission of the data collected and allowing people to access their health information in real time.
The ultimate goal of e-skin – Someya told in an interview with CNN – is to easily monitor the various “human information”, anywhere and at any time, without disturbing people’s daily activities “
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