Cybernetics doesn’t have to mean high-tech or complex, as this handy LED display that slaps right onto your hand or arm demonstrates with easy, helped by stretchy circuitry.

A team of researchers from the University of Tokyo have developed an ultra-thin and ultra-flexible film which works as a lightweight display, effectively creating an electronic skin. It has obvious potential applications for fun but also for monitoring vitals right on a patient or athlete.

The leap here is going from millimeters to micrometers in thickness, making for something flexible, easy to wear and ultimately see-through as well as stable in the air. Using alternating layers of organic and inorganic material, the researchers were able to create transparent electrodes while preventing water and oxygen interfering with the behavior of the device. The result is able to crumple and bend without damage.

“The advent of mobile phones has changed the way we communicate,” said professo Takao Someya of the University of Tokyo. “While these communication tools are getting smaller and smaller, they are still discrete devices that we have to carry with us.”

“What would the world be like if we had displays that could adhere to our bodies and even show our emotions or level of stress or unease? In addition to not having to carry a device with us at all times, they might enhance the way we interact with those around us or add a whole new dimension to how we communicate.”

The post Palm Pilot: Transparent Digital Display on ‘Electronic Skin’ first appeared on Gajitz.

Diagnostic tests for measuring various health parameters usually involve drawing blood, which is invasive and kind of icky. But a team of researchers at the University of Cincinnati and the US Air Force Research Lab have invented a much less painful system that involves using sweat to track health.

The system involves a Band-Aid-like adhesive patch that uses microfluidics to collect sweat from the skin. You don’t have to run a marathon to work up a sweat; the device will use an electrical process called iontophoresis to stimulate the production of sweat. The process applies a very small electrical charge to the skin – so small that the pain experienced by the patient is minimal. The method can keep sweat flowing from a very small area of the skin for hours or even days if the researchers need it to.

The patch then wicks away small amounts of sweat via microfluidic channels for analysis. Super-absorbent hydrogels keep the sweat pumping even after it’s passed through the sensors by soaking up the old sweat so that it doesn’t mix with new sweat. The electronics in the patch have no power source of their own; the patch contains a small RFID-like chip that is externally powered by a smartphone.

It’s this smartphone that provides the analysis, as well. Initially the team had their collective eye on using the patch to monitor athletes’ health. Knowing when your electrolytes are low can be crucial when you’re training, which is lucky because electrolytes are simple to measure. The team thinks they will soon be able to measure other factors like lactic acid, metabolites, proteins, amino acids, and creatinine with the patch. Although measuring glucose, or blood sugar levels, would be an amazing use of this technology, science has yet to figure out how to do that using sweat.

The system could be useful for a huge number of people and situations. Premature babies could be monitored for any changes in their general health. Medication levels in a patient’s sweat could help doctors to determine correct dosages. Military members could be monitored in the field for signs of muscle exertion, injury, and exhaustion. A large number of other physical factors can be read through a person’s sweat, so there’s a good chance that in the future you’ll be experiencing fewer blood draws but more tiny electroshocks to analyze your sweat.

The post Significant Sweat: System Measures Health Via Perspiration first appeared on Gajitz.

Product developers are always thinking of a new way to get caffeine into your bloodstream. The amount found in coffee became boring, so next was ‘energy’ drinks with the caffeine equivalent to three cups of coffee. This was a lot to stomach (including the massive amounts of sugar), so next came energy ‘shots.’ From there it got a bit out of hand – talks of caffeinated food were thrown around, and inhalable caffeine  became the pinnacle…until now.

Sprayable Energy is the first caffeinated topical application. A colorless, odorless liquid, the spray is pure caffeine and is delivered by combining it with tyrosine, “a naturally produced amino acid.” After making the jump from the small spray bottle, the caffeine seeps through your skin to give you the boost you need.

Purported benefits include zero calories, money saved by no longer having to buy $4 energy drinks, no coffee-stained teeth, and no ‘coffee breath.’ Each container holds around 160 sprays. Ben Yu and Deven Soni, the team behind the innovation, took their idea to Indiegogo to raise funds and shot past their monetary goal in no time.

The post Zero-Calorie Caffeine Spray Wants to Get Under Your Skin first appeared on Gajitz.