Written By: Sushantdeep Sagvekar | Published : March 25, 2014 7:20 PM IST
Keeping a tab on patients can become a tad easier for doctors as scientists have designed a new flexible antenna that could be stretched and easily integrated into wearable health monitoring devices. The use of silver nanowires makes the devices so flexible that it can bend and stretch with a person's movement and that too without affecting the frequency it transmits. The researchers applied silver nanowires over a stencil to make a specific pattern and then poured a liquid polymer over the nanowires.
'Our antenna remains functional even when it is severely bent, twisted or stretched,' Yong Zhu, an associate professor at North Carolina State University, was quoted as saying. All wearable health monitoring sensors that measure bioelectronic signals from patients, such as their temperature, hydration or body motion need antennas to transmit the signals. But the wearable devices are subject to deformation as the patients move. (Read: 7 mobile fitness apps for a fitter you (Gallery))
'Our technique is relatively simple, and can be integrated directly into the sensors themselves,' he said in a report that appeared in the journal Applied Materials and Interfaces. (Read: 7 fitness apps that will make weight loss fun!)
Source: IANS
For more articles on fitness apps, visit our fitness apps section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.
