A flexible electrical circuit one-fifth the thickness of food wrap and weighing less than a feather could improve the movement of artificial limbs by tapping into signals from the brain, its Japanese developers say.
The University of Tokyo team said the device, embedded in an ultra-thin film, is unique since it works even after it has been crumpled into a ball or stretched.
"This can be attached to all sorts of surfaces and does not limit the movement of the person wearing it," said Professor Takao Someya of his research, published in the journal Nature on Wednesday.
Healthcare sensors often use silicon and other relatively rigid materials that can cause users discomfort.
The new flexible circuits should reduce or even eliminate the stress, he said.
Super-thin sensors could improve the lives of people who use artificial arms and legs, the research claims.
Wrapped around arms or other body parts, they would pick up nerve signals the wearer's brain sends to the muscles when attempting to move, and pass the impulses to the limbs.
Their flexibility means that people could put on more sensors that would be able to pick up biosignals at a far greater number of places, resulting in smoother, improved movements of artificial limbs, researchers said.
Even in a salty solution, like those found inside the human body, the device worked well for more than two weeks, raising the possibility that it could be placed inside human bodies for data collection in the future.
Someya said more research needed to be done before that could happen.
For example, while the film is nearly imperceptible, its effects on the skin with which it is in contact are not fully known and it is possible that rashes could develop.
Making a reliable power source that is small enough to run the device is also a challenge.
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