Wearable technology has increasingly found its way into consumers lives, with the fitness tracker Fit Bit and smart watches like the Apple Watch leading the market.
In the future, we can expect to see more such wearable devicesincluding thin, small, flexible, sensors that adhere to the skin. Nano engineers have been creating prototypes of these sticker-like sensors that could have dozens of health care, consumer, and military applications.
Existing technologies present barriers to the practicality of the prototypes, however: They can tear easily, and their thin profile makes the use of batteries impractical. Nano engineer and Siebel Scholar Amay Bandodkar (University of California San Diego, BioE 16), has devoted his research to overcoming these limitations.
Siebel Scholar Amay Bandodkar is using nano technology to develop flexible and wearable health monitoring devices that use magnets to repair themselves.
As a doctoral student in the research lab of Dr. Joseph Wang at the Department of NanoEngineering at the University of California San Diego, Bandodkar worked on developing wearable devices that can sense chemicals and devices that can harvest energy from human sweat.
He also helped pioneer a breakthrough technology that enables wearable devices to heal themselves using magnetic particles. His team published an article describing the discovery in the November 2, 2016 issue of Science Advances.
Now a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University, Bandodkar is continuing his research on wearable chemical sensors. He is also researching implantable devices for monitoring brain activity. He is especially interested in developing devices for biomedical applications, such as monitoring ICU patients and people who have just undergone surgery.
Bandodkar spoke with the Siebel Scholars program about wearable devices, his research at Dr. Wangs lab, and the new paths hes forging at Northwestern.
Q: What will wearable electronic devices look like in the future?
In the very near future, wearable devices will conform to the skin. Think of a very thin, flexible, patch that you apply directly to the body, and which moves and breathes with the skin. The user wont even feel its presence.
These devices will monitor an array of vital parameters, such as glucose levels, electrolytes, heart rates, temperature, and stress levels. Multiple sensors on the body will interact, sending each other information, and to sensors on other people.
Right now, for instance, a pregnant woman needs to see her gynecologist to know the status of her baby and her own health. A wearable or implantable system could continuously monitor the health of the mother and baby and wirelessly transmit that information to the hospital or clinic without the need for a doctors visit.
In a military application, sensors placed on soldiers can keep a commanding officer updated on soldiers fitness levels. This information can help inform decisions about who needs a break in the action. For people with diabetes, sensors could track glucose levels and make needle prick tests obsolete.
Q: Your research on self-healing devices has undergone a few iterations. What steps did you take before you got to this latest breakthrough?
Wearable devices can be expensive to make, but printing them can significantly drive down the cost. So this has become an attractive approach. Printed, wearable devices move with the users bodythey bend, stretch, and twist. But they usually break when they experience mechanical stress. We wanted to incorporate self-healing systems to extend the lifespan of these devices.
The first approach we took was to disperse microcapsules filled with organic solvents within the device. Where damage happened, the capsules broke and released the solvent, which helped form a bridge across the cracks. Within a few seconds you got conductivity and could use the device again. This had two problems: First, you cant use non-bio compatible solvents for wearable devices. Second, the solvent evaporates over time, limiting the lifespan of the device.
Other research groups have used self-healing polymers and other chemistries to initiate the self-healing process. Those approaches require that you manually trigger self-healing by exposing the device to heat or UV light and leave it for several hours or days. These systems are also very sensitive, so under certain weather conditions, they wont perform.
Q: How has your research overcome these limitations?
We came up with the idea of using magnets. Magnets attract each other. They are very inexpensive. And they will work under just about any weather condition.
We literally bought magnets at the supermarket, then ground them down into very fine particles and infused the ink with them. That worked. When the device split or broke, the magnetic particles attracted each other and it self-healed automatically, over and over. This is what we reported on in Science Advances.
You can the self-healing process in action in this video.
Q: All of these devices need power. Your research has helped devise novel ways to harness electricity. Tell us about that.
The groups I worked with at Dr. Wangs laboratory and at Northwestern are both exploring ways to circumvent the need for batteries. The problem with batteries is that they discharge and are bulky. During my Ph.D., I worked on developing wearable biofuel cells that can scavenge energy from human sweat. We recently demonstrated that such a system can power LED lights and even a Bluetooth device.
One of the biggest challenges is optimizing the ink compositionfinding the right balance of magnetic material, binder, and electric system components. If you put in too much magnetic material, the amount of the other components you can add decreases. There is a fixed amount of solid materials that can be suspended in a polymeric binder system. All of this material affects printability as well.
Q: Where is your research headed?
In my present lab, I am working on implantable devices that can monitor neurochemicals to measure brain activity as well as wearable non-invasive chemical sensors for fitness and health care applications.
I am currently exploring integrating near-field communications (NFC) technologiesthe kind used for applications such as Apple Payinto wearable patches to overcome the need for batteries. The patch will have a small antenna on it. When you tap your phone on it, the device will transmit information to your phone such as your glucose and sodium levels, temperature, and sweat rate.
Q: What inspired you to become a nano engineer?
I have always been interested in doing research. Every day offers a new challenge. I find it much more exciting than the prospect of a 9-5 job. Growing up in Mumbai, India, I knew I wanted to do my Ph.D. in the United States.
I began my graduate studies in 2011, not long after researchers had begun developing wearable devices. I wanted to be involved in the budding nano field. I was really excited to see how we could make chemical devices and sensors that could be integrated on wearable platforms.
Go here to see the original:
- Micro Manufacturing - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Modeling and Simulation - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Electron Microscopy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Metrology - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Calibration Services - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Micro Engineering - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Nanotechnology - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Creating nano-structures from the bottom up - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Wichita State hands out new round of high-tech grants - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- URI Engineering Student Develops Self Healing Concrete - Video - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- NYS Senator Joseph A. Griffo Visits Clarkson University Nanoengineering - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Nano-subs built to grab and move oil spills - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- Video: N.Y. lab creating jobs with nano-technology - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- Nano-Subs Grab and Move Oil Spills - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- University of Toronto Engineering Welcomes New NSERC Chair in Multidisciplinary Design - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- Nano-Sensors for Explosive Detection -- University Collaboration Addresses Challenges in Explosive Detection - May 10th, 2012 [May 10th, 2012]
- Obama, Cuomo touring Nano college - May 10th, 2012 [May 10th, 2012]
- Obama, Cuomo bond over vision of economic future - May 10th, 2012 [May 10th, 2012]
- Kids visit Nano College after Obama - May 10th, 2012 [May 10th, 2012]
- Zyvex Technologies and ENVE Composites Introduce the World's First Nano-Enhanced Carbon Fiber ... - May 16th, 2012 [May 16th, 2012]
- Listen Now - May 16th, 2012 [May 16th, 2012]
- To Czech Industry, Everything Is Nano - May 23rd, 2012 [May 23rd, 2012]
- Availability of hydrogen controls chemical structure of graphene oxide - May 23rd, 2012 [May 23rd, 2012]
- Hydrogen Controls Chemical Structure of Graphene Oxide - May 23rd, 2012 [May 23rd, 2012]
- Shocking Technologies Raises Additional $10.5 Million From Circuit Protection Leader Littelfuse - May 23rd, 2012 [May 23rd, 2012]
- Nano-structured polymer-based materials from scrap - May 25th, 2012 [May 25th, 2012]
- Journal Tips from the American Institute of Physics: May 24, 2012 - May 25th, 2012 [May 25th, 2012]
- Synthetic nano-waste does not disappear - May 25th, 2012 [May 25th, 2012]
- Attacks on Nuclear and Nano Science - May 29th, 2012 [May 29th, 2012]
- Graphene quantum dots and nano-ribbons cleaved from graphene sheets - May 30th, 2012 [May 30th, 2012]
- Girls Inc.and SEFCU to provide internships at Nano College - May 31st, 2012 [May 31st, 2012]
- Nano technology improves health field - June 2nd, 2012 [June 2nd, 2012]
- Tiny satellites will use Kinect to dock with one another - June 4th, 2012 [June 4th, 2012]
- New nano-research leads to sensors that detect contaminants in water - June 6th, 2012 [June 6th, 2012]
- Editorial: State sets example on economy, bipartisanship - June 6th, 2012 [June 6th, 2012]
- MP girl ‘Gargi Pare’ brings laurels to State - June 6th, 2012 [June 6th, 2012]
- Element Six and Harvard University Collaboration on Nano-Engineered Synthetic Diamond Sets a New Quantum Information ... - June 8th, 2012 [June 8th, 2012]
- Business at a glance - June 10th, 2012 [June 10th, 2012]
- Inter American University of Puerto Rico Chooses Nanoprofessor as Foundation for New Nanoscience Education Program - June 11th, 2012 [June 11th, 2012]
- Nanoparticles found in moon glass bubbles explain weird lunar soil behaviour - June 13th, 2012 [June 13th, 2012]
- Nanoparticles found in moon glass bubbles explain weird lunar soil behavior - June 13th, 2012 [June 13th, 2012]
- Nanoparticles can solve mystery of Moon's topsoil - June 13th, 2012 [June 13th, 2012]
- Nano-Technologies Extended to Coax - June 15th, 2012 [June 15th, 2012]
- Shocking Technologies Raises Additional $10.5M From Circuit Protection Leader Littelfuse - June 15th, 2012 [June 15th, 2012]
- NIT-T professor gets over Rs. 2.15 crore to stall erosion in pipes - June 18th, 2012 [June 18th, 2012]
- Northeastern University Nanomanufacturing Center Director Ahmed Busnaina to Present Webinar on “The Democratization of ... - June 19th, 2012 [June 19th, 2012]
- NIT Silchar convocation - June 19th, 2012 [June 19th, 2012]
- Research and Markets: Government Initiative and High R&D Activities Drive the Nanotechnology Market in India - June 19th, 2012 [June 19th, 2012]
- Scientist unlocks the quantum secrets of the moon's bizarre soil, which hangs suspended above the surface when touched - June 20th, 2012 [June 20th, 2012]
- Nano-infused paint can detect strain - June 22nd, 2012 [June 22nd, 2012]
- "Proceedings of the IEEE" Hosts Centennial Engineering Innovation Forum in DC to Unveil Advanced Technologies ... - June 22nd, 2012 [June 22nd, 2012]
- Nanotech paint can show stress and strain - June 22nd, 2012 [June 22nd, 2012]
- Tatas developing an under $ 20,000 electric car - June 22nd, 2012 [June 22nd, 2012]
- Now, nano-infused paint to detect strain in buildings, bridges and airplanes - June 22nd, 2012 [June 22nd, 2012]
- Nano-sandwich technique slims down solar cells, improves efficiency - June 26th, 2012 [June 26th, 2012]
- Team develops world's most powerful nanoscale microwave oscillators - June 26th, 2012 [June 26th, 2012]
- UCLA-led research team develops world's most powerful nanoscale microwave oscillators - June 26th, 2012 [June 26th, 2012]
- Research and Markets: MEMS, NANO and Smart Systems - Selected papers from the 2011 7th International Conference on ... - June 27th, 2012 [June 27th, 2012]
- A step toward minute factories that produce medicine inside the body - June 28th, 2012 [June 28th, 2012]
- Green feel for collaboration with China - June 28th, 2012 [June 28th, 2012]
- Fibrous Protein Nanocomposites Conference - June 28th, 2012 [June 28th, 2012]
- Going For Gold: The Brains Behind Team GB - July 4th, 2012 [July 4th, 2012]
- NANO Connect Offers International Perspective With South Korean Nanotechnology Education Leader - October 4th, 2012 [October 4th, 2012]
- Hardide appoints a Business Development Manager - October 4th, 2012 [October 4th, 2012]
- Regenerative Medicine Biotech Company, Eqalix, Names Scientific Advisory Board - October 9th, 2012 [October 9th, 2012]
- Quinn uses nanotechnology summit to praise Wheeling High School - October 9th, 2012 [October 9th, 2012]
- Cal Poly Licenses CubeSat Technology to Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems - October 11th, 2012 [October 11th, 2012]
- Improving nanometer-scale manufacturing with infrared spectroscopy - October 11th, 2012 [October 11th, 2012]
- KYOCERA Introduces New Milling Cutters For CNC Machining Featuring Inserts with Proprietary MEGACOAT NANO Technology - October 16th, 2012 [October 16th, 2012]
- iFixit opens up the new iPod nano - October 16th, 2012 [October 16th, 2012]
- Call to assess safety of nano particles - October 16th, 2012 [October 16th, 2012]
- Special Program at SPE ANTEC® Mumbai Will Focus on Nano-Scale Carbonaceous Materials - October 16th, 2012 [October 16th, 2012]
- NUS launches Aerospace Systems initiative for engineering students - October 30th, 2012 [October 30th, 2012]
- Life After MESA - University of California, San Diego - Video - October 30th, 2012 [October 30th, 2012]
- Toulouse, capitale européenne des nanotechnologies du 16 au 20 septembre 2012. - Video - October 30th, 2012 [October 30th, 2012]
- Techno Frühstück - Correspondence of Heart and Beat - Video - October 30th, 2012 [October 30th, 2012]
- CVTC Engineering Programs Commercial - Video - October 30th, 2012 [October 30th, 2012]
- DISSECTED FROG - BIOLOGY LAB FOR NANO ENGINEERING - Video - October 30th, 2012 [October 30th, 2012]
- Renault looking to build an upmarket rival to the Tata Nano, but it will still be very cheap - December 5th, 2012 [December 5th, 2012]
- 'Nano' opens at Discovery Museums - December 8th, 2012 [December 8th, 2012]