Ink-Based E-tattoo Can Decode Brainwaves

Since the emergence of temporary, skin-attached electronic tattoos more than a decade ago - and their evolution to measure heart activity, track pneumonia, measure stress levels, and more - researchers have grappled with a major logistical challenge: How can they be applied to hairy skin without losing performance?
To figure out this challenge, researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and University of California, Los Angeles, borrowed from regular tattoos. The researchers developed a conductive ink that can be printed directly on the surface of a patient’s head and measure their brainwaves.
These e-tattoos serve as the sensors for electroencephalography (EEG), a medical test that measures the brain’s electrical activity. EEG can help diagnose and monitor brain tumors, sleep disorders and other brain issues.
“The holy grail for EEG is a sensor that patients can wear for long periods of time, outside the clinical setting and without the need for constant maintenance,” said Nanshu Lu, a pioneer in e-tattoos and professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics and one of the leaders of the project. “What we’ve developed opens the door for more mobile EEG sensing.”
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