Biomedical engineers develop ‘smart’ senor bandages

During the pandemic, many people have turned to virtual doctor appointments as a safer alternative to in-person visits. Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) are working to make this new wave of telemedicine more successful by creating an oxygen-sensing patch printed on a flexible, disposable bandage that can interact with a smartphone. This smart bandage could enable remote monitoring for the early detection of illnesses such as pressure ulcers, allowing for immediate treatment or intervention. “Our work focuses on designing and optimizing a tissue oxygen sensor by using inexpensive inkjet printing techniques,” says Dr. Chang-Soo Kim, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the university. “Concurrently, we are developing a smartphone app that can interpret sensor images. This prototype will be evaluated using phantom tissue that mimics a pressure ulcer site.”