Tattoos printed on a person’s skin can detect electrical activity in the brain and transmit the signals to a recording device.
Nanshu Lu
Brainwave analysis could be made easier by printing a temporary tattoo on a person’s head.
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a way of measuring the electrical activity of the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp. It can be used to test patients for neurological diseases such as epilepsy, tumors or head injuries from strokes or traumatic impacts.
Because people’s skulls vary in size and shape, technicians have to spend a lot of time measuring and marking the skin to get accurate readings. A gel helps the electrodes detect brain signals, but as it dries out it stops working well. The wires that connect to the electrodes can cause discomfort and interfere with subtle electrical signals.
Nanshu Lu At the University of Texas at Austin and his team want to avoid these problems by printing a temporary tattoo on the subject’s scalp. Tattoo ink is made up of two polymers called poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and polystyrene sulfonate (PSS). It is very conductive and durable and does not irritate the skin.
A computer program creates a custom tattoo design based on a 3D scan of the skin, then a printer controlled by a robotic arm applies the ink directly to the skin. There are two different formulations of the ink: for the electrodes that receive signals from the brain and for the connections that go to the back of the neck. From there, physical wires carry the signals to a small device that records the data.
“Our technology includes a hair-compatible temporary electronic tattoo that enables high-quality brain monitoring,” says Lu.
Tattoos have been proven to work well on people with balding and buzz-cut hairstyles. “Although the method has not yet been tested on long, thick, curly hair, modified token designs or the introduction of robotic hair-parting fingers may make it feasible in the future,” he says. Data transmitters embedded in tattoos can also make the process completely wireless, according to the team.
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