2016 new inventions-Ultrathin Electric 'Tattoo' Can Monitor Muscles
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The electronic tattoos could have a variety of applications, including to map emotions based on facial expressions, study neurodegenerative diseases and control prostheses, the researchers said in a statement. Hanein added that her lab is already exploring potential ways the tattoos could be used for psychological evaluations and as a diagnostic tool for Parkinson's disease, a neurological disorder that can cause tremors, muscle stiffness and coordination problems.
The "electric tattoo" is made up of three main parts: a carbon electrode, an adhesive surface that fastens the tattoo to the skin and a polymer coating that can conduct electricity, Hanein said in the statement.
"The major benefits include long-term stability and comfort, and in addition, simple and quick application on the skin," she said. However, "there is still more work to be done on the data capturing and analysis," she added.
The new technology represents an exciting development, said Lisa Feldman Barrett, a psychologist who studies emotion at Northeastern University but wasn't involved with the new study.
"Right now, we apply sensors to people's skin with gel, and it's messy," Barrett told Live Science.
Even though she anticipates using this sort of technology in her own lab, Barrett said there are some things an electrode simply won't be able to measure. "There are no technological advances of this sort that will ever let you read emotions in someone's face. Emotions just don't work like that," she said.
According to Barrett, cross-cultural studies demonstrate that emotions aren't universally linked to certain facial expressions, and context is crucial when we guess the feelings of those around us. "Emotions aren't detected — they're perceived," she said.
Original article on Live Science.
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