First epidermal photonic sensors

Smithsonian Magazine (June 8) -- A team of researchers from Northwestern University and Illinois has designed a small wearable pad that measures temperature changes on a user’s skin, and from that, it can detect the individual's blood flow rate and skin hydration levels. “These results provide the first examples of ‘epidermal’ photonic sensors,” said John A. Rogers, the paper’s corresponding author and a Swanlund Chair and professor of materials science and engineering at Illinois. “This technology significantly expands the range of functionality in skin-mounted devices beyond that possible with electronics alone.”