At American University Harvard, researchers are working on a project in which tattoos change color to indicate your medical condition. Such a tattoo can tell you, for example, whether you are suffering from dehydration and whether your blood sugar is dropping or rising.
The project was developed by two postgraduate students at the prestigious Harvard in collaboration with researchers at MIT. Using traditional techniques, these new biosensors are inserted into the skin. This technology is more convenient than current wearables because it requires no battery or any maintenance. Biosensors are not yet complete in terms of development.
Based on the chemistry in the body, medical tattoos change color. Initial tests with the ink show the color changing from blue to brown if glucose in the body rises. If one suffers from dehydration, green ink can show this by shining a blue light on it.
More applications need to be devised and developed, but there is another problem: blurring. As with normal tattoos, the bio-ink fades, making the result less visible. A solution has yet to be devised on this blur….
I’m sure this project will also raise many aesthetic questions, but these the researchers are happy to address. They are very curious about the public’s opinion; not everyone will think it’s a good idea to show off your medical information. A solution to this could be invisible ink, which you can then see only through a light coming from your smartphone. Once the development of this project is optimal, any problems people see in it can be looked at.
