These Electronic Skin Patches Will Revolutionize the Way We Take Medicine

Smartphones and TVs aside, most of the electronics industry is focused on making everything smaller. From cars to cameras to computers to memory, we want power and convenience to go hand-in-hand. Professor John Rogers at the University of Illinois is ready for the next wave of medical tech with his smart electronic biosensors.

Electronic skin is basically a computer on a patch that attaches to your skin without any adhesive. It can monitor your heart rate and body temperature, scan your brain waves, and detect chemical levels. In essence, they can be like having an around-the-clock doctor at your disposal.

The future holds some pretty amazing ideas for what this technology can do. Scientists are currently working on patches with memory that can record various physiological statistics to report back any complications with treatment or medication. Work is also being done on a nano-sized drug delivery system within a patch, which can intelligently release just the right amount of drug when a certain feedback sensor is triggered.

This technology has the potential to greatly relieve the costs and stress associated with long-term treatment of various ailments, from heart conditions to epilepsy. Imagine, you may soon be able to charge your phone and take a dose of medicine all with razor thin, wearable patches.