Date

11/8/2022

Title of article

Digital Tattoos Make Healthcare More Invisible

publisher

The medical futurist

summary 

This article is talking about digital tattoos. In the past, the goal of medical devices was to measure or record health parameters, but now it is more important to measure them accurately and simply. The technology for this is digital tattoos. This is not only used for medical purposes, but also as a technology to make our daily life easier. The biggest reason digital tattoos can be applied to our lives is the development of 3D printing and circuit printing technology, flexible electronics, and materials. In addition, various polymers with gold nanorods or rubber supports can be used to apply tattoos to the skin without irritation. These tiny patches can measure electrophysiological parameters, allowing healthcare professionals to non-invasively monitor and diagnose important health conditions such as cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac activity in premature infants, sleep disturbances, and brain activity. Because it tracks time vital signs, it helps to track patients at high stroke risk. In addition, it is easy to confirm that you need to be checked continuously, such as diabetes. The digital tattoo is a sleek, thin, and unrecognizable sensor that does not require a battery; it could replace a smartwatch or wrist wearable, obtain the energy it needs through an electrophysiological process, and be more accurate due to constant skin contact.

My thought

However, it is inconvenient to wear such a watch while exercising, and it

is useless if you forget to wear it while exercising. But we believe that

digital tattoos, which are completely in contact with our skin, are the best

technique to help with these situations. Also, it seems like a good way to

use it as a car key or door key. Even if the car key has been changed to

a digital key these days, I have experienced and witnessed a troublesome

situation by losing it or leaving it in the car. However, our body does not

lose it like a digital car key. Therefore, if we approach the door without

a car key, it would be good to make a digital tattoo that automatically

opens the door. In the same way, the door key automatically opens the

door when you go to the front without having to press a number or open

the door with a key, so it will be easy for the elderly or young children

who often forget their house number.. (“Apple Fitness+.” Apple, https://ww

w.apple.com/apple-fitness-plus/) The articles I've seen are focused on me

dical care. However, I thought of a part that could help us in our real life

by stepping away from medical care a little bit. The first thing is fitness.

The reason many people, not just me, wear smartwatches is for exercise.

The Fitness app on Apple Watch displays daily trending data for active

calories, exercise time, stand-up time (hours and minutes), distance

walked, aerobic fitness, walking pace, and more.( Norreel, Jean Chretien.

“Are Digital Tattoos the Future of Wearables?” Digital Health Central, 19 A

pr. 2021, https://digitalhealthcentral.com/2020/12/05/what-are-digital-tatto

os/).

The tattoo is engraved on our skin, it is always attached to our body, so

we cannot lose what we wear, and there is no inconvenience with

accessories. In addition, the digital tattoo does not need to be recharged,

allowing for continuous monitoring of vital signs I had never heard of a

digital tattoo until I read this article. Smartwatches and clothing clips, of

course, are helpful for our daily life and health, but they have the

disadvantage of having to wear them every time and charging the battery.

But digital tattoos are different. First of all, since this digital

New learn/ topics to explore further/

I want to explore the process of making a digital tattoo in detail, and I want

to investigate the materials used to make it.