From watches that capture our heart rate to sweat-powered devices, wearable technology has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years. This doesn’t only hold implications for your personal workout routine. Researchers from the University of Arizona have come up with 3D-printed wearable technology which uses wireless power transfer and compact energy storage to make it the most sensitive and efficient model yet.
Their biosymbiotic device is a custom fitted using MRIs, CT scans, and smartphone images. It looks like a breathable mesh cuff, and the detailed design allows it to capture physiological parameters that traditional wearables are not sensitive enough to pick up like temperature and strain in the body when someone jumps or walks on a treadmill.
This biosymbiotic design has potential applications in health and athletics. The wireless design means that metrics usually captured with bulky ECG monitors can be recorded much more easily as people go through their daily routine. Placing the devices in strategic areas of the body, like the bicep or armpit, allows for even more data capture personalization.
Biomedical engineer Philipp Gutruf summarizes: “We introduce a completely new concept of tailoring a device directly to a person and using wireless power casting to allow the device to operate 24/7 without ever needing to recharge.”
Source study: Science Advances – Biosymbiotic, personalized, and digitally manufactured wireless devices for indefinite collection of high-fidelity biosignals
