Low cost disposable health monitors

Soft stick-on patches which stretch and move with the skin and incorporate commercial, off-the-shelf chip-based electronics could usher in a new wave of disposables for wireless health monitoring.

The patches – developed by engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University – stick to the skin like a temporary tattoo and incorporate a unique microfluidic construction with wires folded like origami to allow the patch to bend and flex without being constrained by the rigid electronic components. They could be used for everyday health tracking – wirelessly sending updates to a cellphone or computer – and could revolutionise clinical monitoring such as EKG and EEG testing, with no bulky wires, pads or tape needed.