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Skin-like Sensor
24 November 2015

Skin-like Sensor

This gold-coloured, wheel-like pattern may look like a temporary tattoo, but in fact it’s a device for monitoring blood flow in the vessels underneath the skin. Scientists have been developing ultra-thin, highly elastic, wearable films like this one to enable medical devices to be attached to human skin – or indeed organs – with minimum discomfort and difficulty. And this little gizmo is the latest version. It simply sticks onto to the forearm or fingertip of a patient and its tiny metallic thermal sensors detect the movement of heat caused by flowing blood. Monitoring blood flow is essential for assessing health in a range of vascular conditions such as atherosclerosis, diabetes and chronic kidney disease, but existing devices are bulky and awkward to wear or, worse still, require the patient to be immobilised. This miniature, flexible, stick-on sensor by contrast allows patients to move normally enabling monitoring during regular activities.

Written by Ruth Williams

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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