This smart health patch is a real laboratory to know all about your health

Technology has revolutionized the field of connected health and ehealth. There is currently an impressive number of objects that allow self-measurement to always be aware of one’s general state of health. Fitness-oriented connected wristbands are certainly among the most complete connected objects, but they could soon be dethroned by less bulky devices, directly glued to the skin, like this smart health patch that analyzes sweat.

After technological tattoos, Tech Tats, which are still in the prototype stage, US researchers have developed a patch that allows to know more about the physiological health of athletes by analyzing the chemical compounds in sweat. Eventually, this patch can be used to establish a diagnosis by replacing the blood tests.

American start-up Chaotic Moon, specializing in the application of innovative technologies, has designed temporary tattoos capable of collecting biometric data. The “Tech Tat” will be a technological tattoo that can be used in a medical setting. To monitor our health, the device records many data such as our heart rate, our blood pressure or our body temperature. All this information is then transmitted in real time on our smartphone through a mobile application. Commercialization for the general public is not planned at this time. “Technological tattoos have a real purpose, because today there are many connected objects that take up too much space.Rather than going to the doctor you could wear a tattoo that has a lifespan of one year. It would record everything that happens to you physically and if a problem arises, your doctor contacts you.Another disruption that this technology can bring is in the banking market.A tattoo could store and protect our information. we need our credit card or our identity card, it would be enough to present his tattoo “said Eric Schneider, in charge of the creative ideas of the firm.

A mini-laboratory contained in a smart health patch

This patch may well become in the future the ultimate solution for athletes who wish to follow live the effects of their physical efforts on their metabolism. By knowing more about the functioning of their body during their exercise sessions, such a device will allow them to further optimize their performance.

Once glued to the skin, this patch or epidermal patch, designed by a team of American researchers, records the chemical compounds of sweat, such as pH and the concentration of glucose, chloride and lactate. This information is sent to an application in a smartphone and provide information on the state of health of its carrier.

Scientists are currently only in the test phases. The patch has been used with cyclists to avoid dehydration. It is composed of 4 mini tanks, which change colors according to the composition of the athlete’s sweat. He then knows precisely when it is time to hydrate. BSX Athletics and its LVL bracelet offers similar functionality. In the future, the patch can become a real diagnostic tool. “The sweat analysis platform we developed will allow people to monitor their health on the spot, without the need for a blood test; the built-in electronics do not require a battery and allow a wireless connection to a smartphone “said Yonggang Huang, a researcher who participated in the project.

The first tests are conclusive

About twenty cyclists took part in tests to evaluate the accuracy of the measurements made with the patch and the results are promising. The athletes were separated into two groups, one having participated in an outdoor race and the other having practiced their sport on machines in a gym. It turns out that in both cases the results obtained with the patch are similar to those obtained with advanced machines.

Discover more about connected smart health devices