Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio,
Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vocal bomb here. But whether it's
Speaker 1: a smart watch that tracks your heart rate or an
Speaker 1: adhesive patch that continuously monitors your blood glucose level, wearable
Speaker 1: technology is revolutionizing the way we access our own health information.
Speaker 1: Welcome some of our health information anyway. For most people,
Speaker 1: monitoring blood pressure still means winding a cuff around the arm,
Speaker 1: whether in a healthcare setting or at home, and waiting
Speaker 1: for the squeeze as it inflates and then deflates to
Speaker 1: reveal a blood pressure reading. And even then the reading
Speaker 1: is merely a moment in time and not a continual
Speaker 1: monitoring of your blood pressure, which can and typically does
Speaker 1: change frequently throughout the day. Now there's good news on
Speaker 1: the horizon regarding the ability to continuously monitor blood pressure.
Speaker 1: Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas
Speaker 1: and m University have developed a non invasive solution in
Speaker 1: the form of a temporary electronic tattoo. The use of
Speaker 1: the device was outlined in an article published in June
Speaker 1: of two and the journal Nature Nanotechnology. It was developed
Speaker 1: with funding from the Office of Naval research the National
Speaker 1: Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Electronic tattoos
Speaker 1: are a category of devices that are basically very thin,
Speaker 1: flexible patches that can adhere to your skin, measure various
Speaker 1: vital signs, and transmit the data to a phone or
Speaker 1: other computer for collection and processing. Their lifespan varies, but
Speaker 1: some can be worn for days or weeks at a time.
Speaker 1: If current research trends are any indication, there's sure to
Speaker 1: be a whole raft of tech tats in our future.
Speaker 1: This new blood pressure monitoring electronic tattoo is made with graphine,
Speaker 1: which is one of the strongest and thinnest materials in
Speaker 1: the world. It's made up of carbon atoms, like a
Speaker 1: lot of stuff, including graphite used in pencils, but graphings
Speaker 1: nanostructure allows it to exist as an essentially two dimensional
Speaker 1: sheet of atoms that can conduct electricity and is stronger
Speaker 1: than steel, so when applied to the skin as part
Speaker 1: of this device, it provides a waterproof way to measure
Speaker 1: the skin's electrical currents and the body's response to changes
Speaker 1: in blood volume. The prototypes of the electronic tattoo can
Speaker 1: be worn for up to a week to provide continuous
Speaker 1: blood pressure readings. The researchers hope that the technology will
Speaker 1: help us better understand how blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day,
Speaker 1: especially when we encounter stressors. The use of graphing has
Speaker 1: proven instrumental and the temporary tattoo's ability to accurately gather
Speaker 1: blood pressure data. Unlike, for example, the electronic tattoos that
Speaker 1: are already on the market that can monitor exposure to
Speaker 1: UV radiation but are more like thick stickers, a graphing
Speaker 1: is so thin that it can seriously decrease movement cause
Speaker 1: data deterioration, meaning that as you and the electronic tattoo
Speaker 1: moved throughout the day, it's readings will stay true to reality.
Speaker 1: The raw data captured by this newly developed blood pressure
Speaker 1: device is sent to a computer where it's interpreted by
Speaker 1: an algorithm, then translated into the millimeters of mercury measurement
Speaker 1: that's typical for reading blood pressure. At this point in
Speaker 1: the devices development, the data can't yet be transmitted and
Speaker 1: read by applications on a smartphone or smart watch. The
Speaker 1: participants who wore the electronic tattoos remained connected to a
Speaker 1: circuit board that translated the data, so it's not quite
Speaker 1: ready for purchase at your local pharmacy yet, but a
Speaker 1: second generation is being developed that will undergo clinical trials
Speaker 1: and may hit the market within the next five years.
Speaker 1: It'll likely be designed for use with Bluetooth technology and
Speaker 1: near field communication that will transfer data to whatever smartphone
Speaker 1: or watch you use and also power the electronic tattoo.
Speaker 1: The researchers are full that their devices could come in
Speaker 1: handy not just for people at risk for hypertension, but
Speaker 1: a wide range of people looking to keep an eye
Speaker 1: on their physical and mental health, as blood pressure can
Speaker 1: also be a measurement of stress. Today's episode is based
Speaker 1: on the article how the graphine blood pressure tattoo will
Speaker 1: change monitoring on how stuff works dot com, written by
Speaker 1: laure L Dove. The brain Stuff is production of iHeart
Speaker 1: Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot com, and
Speaker 1: it is produced by Tyler Klang. For more podcasts from
Speaker 1: my heart Radio because at the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.