Thursday 18 June 2015

Injectable electronics could be used to monitor brain activity

Science Focus

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Flexible electronics have wide applicability, ranging from development of bendable screens to personal health monitors. Scientists are particularly interested in using these materials for medical applications; they've developed three-dimensional, flexible electronics that are compatible with the human body, and these show promise for integration into various tissues.

However, there are still significant limitations that must be addressed before these bioelectronics can be effectively used in a clinical setting. For example, it is very difficult to deliver soft bioelectronics to diseased regions in a patient-friendly manner. Recently, an international team of scientists demonstrated that flexible mesh electronics can be compacted and delivered using syringe injection.

After being manufactured, the mesh electronics are loaded into a needle that is inserted into an internal cavity, and the mesh is injected while the needle is withdrawn, placing the electronics in the targeted region. The mesh consists of longitudinal polymer/metal/polymer elements that interconnect electronics embedded in the polymer. The scientists found that the transverse and longitudinal stiffness of the material could be optimized to enable the mesh to “roll up” when passing through the needle.

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 » see original post http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/science/~3/DqqEsXFOslk/
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