Research Smart tattoos for real-time health monitoring?

Is it really possible to monitor your health with the help of tattoos??

A few decades ago, tattoos were still largely a matter for sailors and convicts. But in the present time it has become normal to wear tattoos on the body. More and more men and women have a variety of tattoos. How about tattoos not only looking great, but also having medical benefits? Researchers have now developed a color for tattoos that can indicate human health.

Scientists from the internationally acclaimed Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) collaborated on current research to develop a new ink for tattoos that can be used to monitor health. The experts published a press release on the results of their research.

Tattoos are a popular body jewelry today. Researchers have now developed a tattoo ink that can help monitor the health of tattooed people. (Image:
Fxquadro / Fotolia.com)

Tattooing may indicate dehydration or rising blood sugar

The newly developed tattoo ink can change color when, for example, a person becomes dehydrated or when blood sugar rises. The ink used in the tattoos is called biosensitive by the experts. Further research is now required to combine the tattoos with medical monitoring equipment.

Benefits novel tattoo color

Currently available portable medical monitoring devices have the big problem that they do not integrate well into the body, the experts say. Unfortunately, the monitors also usually have a relatively short battery life and require wireless connectivity. The new biosensitive tattoo does not need any of the above requirements, the researchers add.

So far, the ink fades or diffuses into the surrounding tissue

The research team is still working on a concept to further stabilize the new ink. Because so far, the designs fade over time or the ink diffuses into the surrounding tissue. All of these problems need to be resolved before the new ink can be used for medical needs, the researchers explain.

Tattoo changes color as the glucose level increases

The ink changes the color based on the chemistry of the interstitial fluid in the body, explain the authors. The ink developed so far is able to change color from green to brown as the glucose level increases. The green ink of the tattoo is clearly visible under a blue light and the green becomes more intense as the sodium concentration in the body increases. This effect occurs, for example, during dehydration.

If people do not like tattoos, the ink can also be invisible in normal light

It is also possible that people use the ability of the ink to monitor their health, who do not want to wear obvious tattoos on their body. The tattoos are practically invisible to them. The invisible ink used can then only be seen under certain light colors, which can also be produced by your smartphone, for example, explain the authors. The researchers have already developed an app that is able to analyze the images of a sensor and then provide diagnostic results. The newly developed tattoos could be used in the future for the monitoring of chronic or short-term diseases, stress the scientists. (As)