Pulse signal map created by ultrathin wearable sensors with 100 sensing pixels. (Credit: POSTECH)

Researchers have developed a wearable sensor patch thinner than a hair strand that can measure pulse wave signals with high precision. The patch was printed using inkjet printing. Using this technology, wearable electronic devices can be made by simply printing conductive ink on a very thin substrate.

The team fabricated a pressure sensor that mimics skin’s tactility and used it to enable physical pulse waves to be detected by the patch just as they are detected by the fingers. The researchers also used a patch-type device with 100 sensor pixels to obtain a two-dimensional (2D) pressure map on the wrist.

The researchers successfully created a 2D pressure map to accurately obtain the pulse wave signals and analyzed their strengths to locate the invisible arterial blood vessels. Moreover, they developed sensor patches of various sizes by taking age, gender, and body sizes into consideration.

The newly developed technology allows for at-home diagnosis of diseases that are usually performed only at hospitals.

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