Scientists have developed a brand new know-how that may measure mind waves utilizing digital, momentary tattoos.
The researchers say the strategy might act as a faster and extra handy approach to monitor mind exercise and diagnose neurological circumstances, comparable to seizures, epilepsy and mind tumors, in comparison with conventional electroencephalogram (EEG) exams.
During an EEG take a look at, technicians usually use rulers and pencils to mark up an individual’s head earlier than gluing electrodes throughout the scalp. These electrodes are then linked by way of lengthy wires to a machine that data mind exercise. Alternatively, a cap with electrodes will be instantly positioned on the top.
However, this entire course of is time-consuming and inconvenient, say the builders of the brand new know-how. It typically takes round one to 2 hours to arrange an EEG take a look at, stated co-developer Nanshu Lu, a professor of engineering on the University of Texas at Austin. The electrodes then have to be monitored about each two hours as a result of the glue that attaches them to the scalp dries up, she advised Live Science in an e-mail.
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The new know-how, however, makes use of a robotic that’s digitally programmed to jet ink product of conductive materials onto particular positions on an individual’s scalp — saving each time and labor, say the researchers. Currently, this printing course of nonetheless takes an hour because the group has to manually appropriate for a persons” head actions, Lu stated. However, if future adaptive printing will be totally automated, the entire printing course of will be performed inside 20 minutes, she added.
The ink then dries into a skinny movie, often known as an digital tattoo, that’s 30 micrometers thick — roughly half the width of a human hair. Like common EEG electrodes, these e-tattoos can then be used to detect modifications within the electrical exercise of the mind.
In a brand new examine, revealed Monday (Dec. 2) within the journal Cell Biomaterials, the researchers examined the know-how on 5 individuals with quick hair to match it to standard EEG know-how. They discovered that the e-tattoos have been simply nearly as good at detecting mind waves as the standard EEG electrodes that have been positioned subsequent to them.
Furthermore, the e-tattoos stayed on the contributors’ heads and will report mind exercise for no less than a day, whereas the EEG electrodes started dropping off after six hours. Once measurements are made, e-tattoos will be merely scrubbed off utilizing alcohol wipes or washed off utilizing shampoo, Lu stated. EEG electrode glue, however, is harder to get out of hair.
The ink method may also be modified to create tattoo traces onto the scalp, that means that the wires that join the e-tattoos to a monitor are a lot shorter than they might be in an everyday EEG take a look at.
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The researchers now want to find out if these e-tattoos work in sufferers with particular neurological circumstances, in addition to these with totally different lengths and forms of hair, or pores and skin allergy symptoms. They’re additionally planning to invent a printer that may make an ink that does not rub off on an individual’s pillow as they sleep, Lu stated. This might theoretically allow scientists to measure mind exercise in a single day, which can be helpful for diagnosing issues like sleep issues.
In the long run, the researchers additionally hope to embed wi-fi information transmitters within the e-tattoos to make the system totally transportable.
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