Electronic skin patches are becoming ever more important in global health settings.
A newly published report by Emergen Research suggests that the market for these devices is currently exploding, and estimates that it will be worth $18.10bn (£13bn) by 2027.
These flexible patches, which attach to the skin using biocompatible adhesives, can be used to monitor key health markers such as heart rate, and in some cases to deliver drugs into the system.
One drawback, however, is the need to attach wires to an external power source or include a relatively bulky battery pack to power the patch.
Now, a team of researchers from Osaka University in Japan, in partnership with Joanneum Research from Weiz, Austria, have developed a patch that powers itself from its contact with the patient.
The patch harvests biomechanical energy from the patient’s own movement and uses it to power piezoelectric nanogenerators embedded in the device.
In this case, the patches were applied to elbows or knees and produce the electric charge from stress applied by bending during normal movement.
The patches themselves are extremely thin and ultra-flexible, with the team describing them as “barely perceptible” when worn.
This could make them a valuable, unobtrusive tool for monitoring various health markers.
Patch uses a substrate just one micron thick
The researchers said that the key to developing the device was starting with a very thin substrate that measures just a single micron in thickness.
They then used a powerful electric field to arrange ferroelectric crystalline domains in a copolymer.
This created a large electric dipole – which deals with the separation of positive and negative charges found in an electromagnetic system.
The device responded to motion to create electricity using the piezoelectric effect.
‘Piezoelectric effect’ refers to the ability of certain materials to produce an electric charge when subjected to mechanical stress.
The team said that each patch could harvest around 200 millijoules over the course of a day.
The patches can measure a patient’s pulse and blood pressure, and the study’s first author Andreas Petritz said that they could be deployed to monitor conditions such as stress, sleep apnoea and heart disorders.
The development of a non-obtrusive sensor system that uses ambient motion to power itself without the need for an external power source or batteries could also increase adoption within doctors’ offices.
The team also said that they expected their research to help in the development of other patch-style biometric monitoring systems.
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