A medical sensor that adheres to the skin like a temporary tattoo could help doctors to detect metabolic problems in patients. Shaped like a smiley face, the entire sensor is a thin, flexible unit designed to conceal the electrodes.
Designed by researchers at the Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences at University of Toronto, Scarborough, Canada, the new tattoo-based solid-contact ion-selective electrode is made using standard screen-printing techniques and commercially available transfer tattoo paper. It detects changes in the skin’s pH levels in response to metabolic stress.
To create the sensors, the scientists used a standard screen printer to lay down consecutive layers of silver, carbon fiber-modified carbon and insulator inks, followed by electropolymerization of aniline to complete the sensing surface.
