Digital Tattoo Gets Under Your Skin to Monitor Blood

[Jam]

This could be huge for diabetes management. Instead of finger pricks several times a day, or not-so-accurate sensors that you have to replace every couple of days, you get a tiny tattoo that can be read externally however frequently you want. No-pain blood-sugar monitoring. It also spells out reduced cash flow for the companies selling the supplies, such as test strips or disposable sensors.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/...-tattoo-iphone

tattoos will contain nanosensors that read the wearer’s blood levels of sodium, glucose and even alcohol with the help of an iPhone 4 camera.
[...]
Within the implant, certain nanoparticles will bind exclusively to specific blood contents, like sodium or glucose. Thanks to an additive that makes the particles charge neutral, the presence of a target triggers an ion release, which manifests as a florescence change. The process is detailed in an article published in the journal Integrative Biology.
Dubach designed the iPhone 4 attachment to use the phone’s camera to read the color shift and translate the results into quantifiable data. A plastic ring surrounding the lens blocks out ambient light while a battery-powered blue LED contrasts with the sensors. The software uses the iPhone camera’s built-in RGB filters to process the light reflected off the sensors.

[c1ue]

Re: Digital Tattoo Gets Under Your Skin to Monitor Blood

This reads more like a product placement than science.

The idea is cool, but it makes no sense whatsoever that an iPhone 4 is required as opposed to any digital camera of sufficient resolution.

For that matter why make the digital tattoo so small it requires external processing?

Why not make the whole implant simple like a pregnancy test indicator or some such.

[Techdread]

Re: Digital Tattoo Gets Under Your Skin to Monitor Blood

Why not just try eating less?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/20...-cure-diabetes

[Jam]

Re: Digital Tattoo Gets Under Your Skin to Monitor Blood

Why not just try eating less?

For type 2 diabetes, I absolutely agree. But, for type 1 insulin injection and careful monitoring of blood sugar is really the only treatment available; no cure (though promising development coming out of several research labs).

[Jam]

Re: Digital Tattoo Gets Under Your Skin to Monitor Blood

This reads more like a product placement than science.
The idea is cool, but it makes no sense whatsoever that an iPhone 4 is required as opposed to any digital camera of sufficient resolution.

Well, it was published in Wired magazine--gotta bring those advertising $$ .

For that matter why make the digital tattoo so small it requires external processing?

I think, ideally, you want to implant something that requires no power (battery), and is small, and long-lasting. A tattoo, with a special 'ink,' fits the bill. A while ago, they were experimenting with contact lenses that would change color depending on the sugar level. Did not catch on.