One day, people could monitor their own health conditions by simply picking up a pencil and drawing a bioelectronic device on their skin. In a new study, University of Missouri engineers demonstrated that the simple combination of pencils and paper could be used to create devices that might be used to monitor personal health.
MU engineers discover the possibility of using pencils to draw bioelectronics on human skin
One day, people could monitor their own health conditions by simply picking up a pencil and drawing a bioelectronic device on their skin. In a new study, University of Missouri engineers demonstrated that the simple combination of pencils and paper could be used to create devices that might be used to monitor personal health.
Their findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Zheng Yan, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering, said many existing commercial on-skin biomedical devices often contain two major components — a biomedical tracking component and a surrounding flexible material, such as plastic, to provide a supportive structure for the component to maintain an on-skin connection with a person’s body.
“The conventional approach for developing an on-skin biomedical electronic device is usually complex and often expensive to produce,” he said. “In contrast, our approach is low-cost and very simple. We can make a similar device using widely available pencils and paper.”
Since its invention, pencils — made of lead including various levels of graphite, clay and wax — have often been used for writing and drawing. In the study, the researchers discovered that pencils containing more than 90% graphite are able to conduct a high amount of energy created from the friction between paper and pencil caused by drawing or writing. Specifically, the researchers found pencils with 93% graphite were the best for creating a variety of on-skin bioelectronic devices drawn on commercial office copy paper. Yan said a biocompatible spray-on adhesive could also be applied to the paper to help it stick better to a person’s skin.
The researchers said their discovery could have broad future applications in home-based, personalized health care, education and remote scientific research such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yan said the group’s next step would be to further develop and test the use of the biomedical components, including electrophysiological, temperature and biochemical sensors.
“For example, if a person has a sleep issue, we could draw a biomedical device that could help monitor that person’s sleep levels,” he said. “Or in the classroom, a teacher could engage students by incorporating the creation of a wearable device using pencils and paper into a lesson plan. Furthermore, this low-cost, easily customizable approach could allow scientists to conduct research at home, such as during a pandemic.”
An additional benefit to their approach, Yan said, is that paper can decompose in about a week, compared to many commercial devices that contain components that are not easily broken down.
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Bioelectronics
- Bioelectronics Market Size 2022 Demand Analysis, Business Opportunities, Revenue and Forecast to 2030 | (CAGR) of 11.17%
May 19, 2022 (Alliance News via COMTEX) -- Report Ocean published the latest research report on the Bioelectronics market. In order to comprehend a market holistically, a variety of factors must ...
- Team Up to Advance Bioelectronics
Groups are also exploring bioelectronics in other innovative ways, he noted. For example, Keenan mentioned that there is currently research going on that could use bioelectronics to prevent type 1 ...
- BioElectronics Corporation (BIEL)
US GDP unexpectedly contracted at a 1.4% annualized rate in Q1 (+1.0% expected) ...
- Bioelectronics Corp - Stock Price vs Fair Value BIEL
We sell different types of products and services to both investment professionals and individual investors. These products and services are usually sold through license agreements or subscriptions ...
- Could BioSig Play a Vital Role in the Bioelectronics Market?
Londoner said the interest in the signals of the body are also leading to firms flocking to the bioelectronics space. Google’s Verily Lifesciences is an example of a company moving rapidly toward the ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Bioelectronics
Go deeper with Bing News on:
On-skin biomedical devices
- Technology allows amputees to control a robotic arm with their mind
University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers have developed a more accurate, less invasive technology that allows amputees to move a robotic arm using their brain signals instead of their muscles.
- A Wearable Sensor That Measures Glucose, Alcohol: Could It Become a Reality?
Researchers are working on a wearable device with microneedles that can ... research team has published a paper in Nature Biomedical Engineering debuting a prototype of a sensor to be worn on the skin ...
- Terasaki Institute Top Biomedical Innovations Transforming The World In 2022
The Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI ... personalized implants; personalized devices; personalized cells; personalized biomaterials. To capture TIBI’s narrative, I reached out to CEO ...
- Multi tasking wearable device to monitor glucose, alcohol, and lactate level
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a prototype of such a wearable device that can continuously monitor several health stats-glucose, alcohol, and ...
- POWERHOUSE AESTHETIC BRANDS ALIGN TO LAUNCH A NATIONWIDE PREVENTATIVE SKIN HEALTH PROTOCOL EXPERIENCE
Phoenix, AZ, May 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Know Better Skin this Summer with Colorescience®, a leader in advanced skin protection technology, and Aesthetics Biomedical®, a leader in novel ...