EES Packs Circuits Onto Skin: Beginning of the Modern Cyborg

August 13th, 2011 by: Range

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There’s a new process called EES (Electrical Epidermal System) which allows scientists to apply circuits and electrical components directly to skin, which could be big news for medical sensors, but it could also potentially lead to LED tattoos, integrated video game interfaces and more.

Engineers John Rogers and Todd Coleman have developed this tech. EES has electrodes capable of measuring brain, heart, and muscle activity, just like an EEG. It can then transmit this data wirelessly. The circuits stick to skin because they are extremely thin, and will adhere thanks to molecular forces. These circuits have been integrated without any pain, suffering or surgery, which is pretty cool. The circuits are applied just like a temporary tattoo. The wires of the circuits are elastic, so they can move about without breaking.

Soon, you will be able to integrate transistors, LEDs, photodetectors, RFID tags, capacitors and more onto your skin. Once these circuits get sophisticated enough, it could make interfacing with computers and our other electronic gadgets a lot different than how we do today.

[io9 via DVice]

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