In the last couple of years the wearable electronics market has seen a considerable bump in the number of devices being produced to counter very specific human needs. The adoptions of such devices are not the concern of the manufacturer as they are looking forward to capture the market by coming in first. Mostly these devices made waves in the healthcare category wherein they had shown commendable performance in monitoring heart rate and other associated vital health signals and a number of manufacturers had started making use of lightweight and highly elastic materials which has the potential to be attached to the skin easily and offer precise measurements without causing any discomfort.

Team behind the new age wearable device

Most of the modern materials used in the wearable electronics are great due to the use of the ultrathin films and rubbers sheets which conforms will with the skin but are completely unsuitable for long term usability due to lack of breathability. The team of researchers from University of Tokyo under the leadership of Professor Takao Smeya has been able to develop a revolutionary on-skin patch which can be used for measuring the oxygen in the blood. Takao states that their first major challenge was to develop such material which can be worn for longer period of time and can be easier for monitoring. Developing such material will not only help in enhancing the features of the health wearable electronics but it will also enhance their practical usage in the medical and sports applications.

In their research they developed an electrode constructed right from the nanoscale meshes and it contained a water soluble polymer along with a gold layer. All of these materials are considered to be safe and compatible to the body. Now this device can be applied right to skin by simply spraying a little amount of water which dissolves the polymer and allows it to stick to the human skin.

Sturdy, long lasting wearable adept at health monitoring

A long time has been spent at ensuring that the device mechanical durability remains high enough to counter daily bending and stretching. It will come as a surprise that this device an easily last over 10,000 such contractions this also showcases the reliability of the electrode used for the electro myogram recording which essentially keeps the reading of the electrical activity emitted from the muscles.

In short this device will become a powerhouse at successfully monitoring the vital signs of the users for relatively longer period of time without causing any stress or unwanted discomfort.  The future applications of this devices is immense as it can seen widely used in the nursing care as well as medical applications due to its ability offer precise monitoring and motion detection to the core. One such area of greater application for this gem among the wearable electronics will be related to monitoring the athlete’s physiological as well as bodily motions both during the training exercises as well as actual performance.