That’s the vision behind a new device developed by a research team at Penn State University. The team had previously designed a flexible circuit board for wearable sensors, but it couldn’t be printed directly onto skin because it required a sintering process for binding some of the metallic components at a whopping 572 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fortunately, they’ve now found a solution that allows the sensors to be printed directly onto the skin, without burning the recipient. This is thanks to calcium carbonate and a polyvinyl alcohol paste, which when combined create a buffering layer against the skin that allows the metal sensors to be printed on at room temperature. The resulting device can measure the body’s blood oxygen, heart signals, humidity and temperature, and can be washed off with (tolerably) hot water.
“It could be recycled, since removal doesn’t damage the device,” said lead researcher Huanyu Cheng. “And, importantly, removal doesn’t damage the skin, either. ... The device can be useful without being an extra burden to the person using it or to the environment.”
