Researchers from the University of Missouri’s College of Engineering have invented a soft, breathable, and stretchable material that is nearly undetectable on a person’s skin, for use in the development of wearable health monitoring devices.
The device would be able to track multiple vital signs in tandem, such as blood pressure, heart activity, and skin hydration, for early detection of chronic diseases and timely interventions.
Assistant Prof. Zheng Yan said that while other researchers have worked on similar designs, their material differed in its “skin-like” material that is made from a liquid-metal elastomer composite.
“It is ultrasoft and ultra-stretchable, so when the device is worn on the human body, it will be mechanically imperceptible to the user,” Yan said….