In the year 2040, imagine a 12-year-old with diabetes popping a piece of gum into his mouth. A temporary tattoo on his forearm detects the rise in blood sugar levels and instantly sends the data to his phone. His mother, equipped with her own set of health-monitoring tattoos, receives the update on her device. One tattoo measures lactic acid during her exercise routine, while another constantly tracks her blood pressure and heart rate.
While this concept remains in the realm of science fiction, the technology behind it is currently being developed in research labs worldwide, including at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The potential benefits are vast: electronic tattoos could enable continuous monitoring of complex medical conditions, such as cardiovascular, metabolic, immune system, and neurodegenerative diseases. In fact, nearly half of U.S. adults may unknowingly be in the early stages of these conditions.
These wearable health-monitoring systems could revolutionize the way we detect and manage diseases. By offering early-stage screening and tracking key health data, such as diet, physical activity, environmental factors, and psychological well-being, these technologies can facilitate long-term health studies. Such data could lead to better treatments and more effective preventative care. However, to achieve this, significant breakthroughs in sensor technology are needed—specifically, affordable devices that people can wear regularly and unobtrusively.
At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a team of researchers, including myself, is focused on creating such technology. We are developing graphene-based electronic tattoos (GETs) that can be worn on the skin to detect physiological and chemical changes in the body.
The Emergence of Epidermal Electronics
The concept of epidermal electronics, or peel-and-stick health sensors, gained traction through the work of John Rogers and his team at Northwestern University. Their innovations, such as wireless sensors for newborns in intensive care, have demonstrated the potential of flexible, thin electronic patches that monitor vital signs. While their devices, though less than a millimeter thick, are suitable for short-term medical applications, creating a patch that could be worn continuously for years requires a much thinner, more comfortable solution.
In 2017, Deji Akinwande and Nanshu Lu, professors at the University of Texas at Austin, introduced graphene electronic tattoos. These initial tattoos were 500 nanometers thick and adhered to the skin using a simple water-transfer method, similar to temporary tattoos. Graphene—a single layer of carbon atoms—offers numerous advantages: it is highly conductive, transparent, lightweight, flexible, and strong. When used in tattoos, graphene is practically imperceptible, and its thin, soft structure conforms perfectly to the skin, making it comfortable for long-term wear.
There were early concerns about the biocompatibility of graphene, primarily due to studies that suggested certain forms of graphene could be toxic. However, research has since revealed that many forms of graphene, such as graphene oxide, are safe for use in bioelectronics. Studies, including a 2024 paper in Nature Nanotechnology, have shown that graphene-based materials, such as those used in electronic tattoos, are non-toxic and biocompatible. This is crucial, as these tattoos are in direct contact with the skin for extended periods.
Our research team has tested graphene-based tattoos on numerous subjects without observing any adverse effects, including skin irritation. This breakthrough opens the door to wearable biosensors that can monitor everything from blood sugar levels to heart health.
A New Approach to Heart Disease Monitoring
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death globally, driven by factors such as diet, lifestyle, and environmental pollution. Continuous monitoring of heart activity—especially heart rate and blood pressure—could provide vital insights for early intervention. Graphene tattoos are ideally suited for this purpose.
Measuring heart rate is relatively simple, as the heart’s electrical signals are clearly detectable during each beat. By placing a pair of GETs on the chest or arms, and a third tattoo as a reference point, we can monitor the heart’s electrical activity using a technique called differential amplification. This process isolates relevant cardiac signals while filtering out unwanted noise from surrounding tissues. We use off-the-shelf amplifiers from companies like OpenBCI to make this system wireless, allowing for continuous heart rate tracking.
However, tracking blood pressure continuously is far more complex. Traditional blood pressure monitors, which rely on inflatable cuffs, cannot offer real-time readings during normal activities. While these devices are effective in clinical settings, they are impractical for continuous monitoring. With a focus on overcoming this challenge, our team, in collaboration with experts from Texas A&M University and MIT, is working on methods to measure blood pressure continuously and unobtrusively with electronic tattoos.
By advancing the technology behind graphene electronic tattoos, we hope to make it possible for individuals to monitor their health constantly, without the need for bulky devices or manual interventions. These tattoos, which are light, comfortable, and imperceptible, could one day provide real-time data that improves diagnosis, treatment, and prevention across a variety of medical conditions.
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