Temporary tattoos capable of reading thoughts: no, it’s not science fiction, but a technological advance born in an American laboratory. These electronic tattoos, designed to record brain activity, promise major advances in neurology.
Right: Printed electronic tattoo sensors connected to a conventional EEG reader.
Electroencephalography (EEG), a key method for diagnosing disorders like epilepsy or brain damage, traditionally relies on electrodes connected by wires to headphones. This bulky configuration requires a long and careful installation, often uncomfortable for patients.
To remedy this, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a biocompatible ink that passes through the hair to reach the scalp. Ce conductive polymer is applied with a printer digitally controlled inkjet directly on the subject’s head, allowing precise placement of these “electrodes” in just a few minutes.
Once dry, the ink acts as a brain wave sensor. Tested on five volunteers, the technology proved to be as efficient as traditional systems, while offering much better comfort. The ink, thinner than a hair, even guarantees signal stability over 24 hours, compared to only six hours for conventional electrodes.
The researchers also printed conductive wires directly onto the skin, eliminating external cables. Ultimately, these tattoos could integrate wireless transmitters, making EEG completely autonomous and mobile.
These innovations are not limited to medical diagnostics. They open the way to brain-machine interfaces, making it possible, for example, to control devices by thought. Patients suffering from paralysis or epilepsy could benefit from real-time monitoring thanks to these miniaturized devices.
The next steps include adapting the ink to long hair and increasing its resistance to wear, especially during sleep. The potential is immense: from nighttime monitoring of sleep disorders to daily uses for patients with chronic pathologies.
More than a medical advance, this technology marks a step towards more fluid integration between humans and machines. With such precision and ease of use, electronic watermarking could well become the key neuroscience tool of tomorrow.
What is an electronic brain tattoo?
An electronic tattoo for the brain is a thin layer of material conductive printed directly on the scalp. It functions as an electrode to measure theactivity cerebral.
Made of biocompatible conductive polymers, it can pass through the hair to reach the scalp. Once in place, it captures the electrical signals emitted by the brain, just like a traditional electroencephalogram, but with fewer constraints.
Unlike conventional electrodes, this device is temporary and painless. It applies quickly using an algorithm-guided inkjet printer. These tattoos offer millimeter precision while eliminating cumbersome wires.
The objective is to make these tattoos more robust and able to resist movement or humidity, in order to improve their use in contexts such as sleep or brain-machine interfaces.
