Biochips create new opportunities for medtech

Chips worn like tattoos

Researchers have prototyped monitors for pulse, brain wave and other functions that can be placed on the skin and removed like a child’s temporary tattoo. They include the full electronics for the monitor, such as strain gauges, photo diodes, RF antennas or inductive coils to power the device, not simply an electrode.


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Rogers showed a video of such a tattoo chip on a plastic carrier being applied to the skin then having the carrier washed away. The device remained functional even after the skin was pinched and stretched. It could then be peeled off like so much dead skin.

Some startup are exploring application of the ICs in sports. Others foresee applications for human machine interfaces in which the devices capture audio commands or track hand motions.