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Home > News > Sensors get flexible
Oximeter array printed on flexible plastic

Sensors get flexible

Spring 2019 cover: Shifting Gears
May 1, 2019
This article appeared in Berkeley Engineer magazine, Spring 2019

Existing blood-oxygen sensors — known as oximeters — are known for being rigid and bulky, and they only work on thin parts of the body, like fingertips or earlobes. But a team led by Ana Claudia Arias, professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences, has now developed a flexible sensor that can be used over large areas of skin, tissue and organs, giving a new way to detect blood-oxygen levels throughout the body. The sensor’s organic electronics are printed on bendable plastic that molds to the shape of the body, allowing it to be placed anywhere. Consisting of an alternating array of organic light-emitting diodes and photodiodes, the sensor measures oxygenation in tissue by shining red and near-infrared light into the skin and then detecting the ratio of light that is reflected back. The researchers say the sensor could enable doctors to monitor wounds as they heal in real time, check the oxygenation of skin grafts and transplanted organs, or even constantly track blood oxygen levels in patients with diabetes, respiration illnesses or sleep apnea.

  • Read more: Skin-like sensor maps blood-oxygen levels anywhere in the body
Topics: Health, Devices & inventions, EECS
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