This stretchable, wearable circuit could change your life

A team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed “the world’s fastest stretchable, wearable integrated circuits.” This technology would allow hospitals to apply a temporary tattoo to each patient, making a wireless intensive care unit (ICU) possible.

But it could do a whole lot more than that.

This “smart skin” could monitor your vital signs, control your music, track your workout, and even let you control the temperature and lighting in your home—all wirelessly.

These wearable electronic patches are constructed using interlocking segments, like 3D puzzles, that support frequencies from .3 to 300 gigahertz. This falls within the 5G standard that would make it possible for patients wearing them to wirelessly transmit vitals to doctors.

Within the hospital, this could mean that ICUs and emergency rooms could finally be free from cables, clips and wires. Further down the line, this kind of technology could allow doctors to monitor patients from their homes.

The invention has been deemed the world’s fastest stretchable integrated circuits—a game changing technology that could revolutionize the medical industry.