Wearable Medical Devices Developed by Researchers

Using their revolutionary G-Putty material, Researchers from AMBER, the SFI Centre for Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Researchers, and Trinity’s School of Physics have Developed next-generation graphene-based sensing technology. The team’s printed sensors are 50 times more sensitive than the industry norm and outperform other comparable nano-enabled sensors in a key industry metric called versatility.

The teams’ technology is an ideal candidate for the evolving fields of Wearable electronics and medical diagnostic Devices because it maximises sensitivity and versatility without sacrificing efficiency. The team demonstrated that they can make a low-cost, printed graphene nanocomposite strain sensor, led by Professor Jonathan Coleman of Trinity’s School of Physics, one of the world’s leading nanoscientists.

They devised a method for creating G-putty-based inks that can be printed as a thin film onto elastic substrates, such as band-aids, and adhere to the skin easily. The Researchers devised a method for creating G-putty-based inks that can be printed as a thin film onto elastic substrates, such as band-aids, and easily adhere to the skin.

The team discovered that by creating and testing inks of various viscosities (runniness), they could tailor G-Putty inks to the printing technology and application.

Strain sensors are a highly useful monitoring tool in medical environments, where they are used to monitor changes in mechanical strain such as pulse rate or changes in a stroke victim’s ability to swallow. A strain sensor detects mechanical changes and converts them to proportional electrical signals, acting as a mechanical-electrical converter. Though there are strain sensors on the market now, they are often made of metal foil, which limits their wearability, flexibility, and sensitivity.