While bulky bracelets and other wearables might be all the rage when it comes to fitness tracking, health-monitoring patch technology could be the future of medicine. This design from South Korea not only monitors health, it can also dispense drugs. The smart but simple looking adhesive also stretches with your skin, rather than pulling uncomfortably on it. The plaster-like patch is intended to monitor movements like epilepsy and Parkinson's disease, rather than fitness levels using spring-loaded gauges.
The health-monitoring patch prototype is still being developed as it still requires an external computer to function properly. The Korean researchers hope eventually all the technology will be contained within the patch and it will be able to check heart rate, blood oxygen and other vitals in addition to delivering different drugs.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Health-monitoring Patches
- Health-monitoring patch technology could replace bulky wearables and become the future of medicine, especially if it becomes capable of checking vitals and dispensing drugs.
- Stretchable Adhesives
- Smart, simple-looking adhesive that stretches with your skin is a promising innovation in patch and wearable technology.
- Integrated Health Technology
- The integration of multiple health technologies into one compact device is a promising area of innovation in the health monitoring industry.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Medical Device
- The health-monitoring patch technology and stretchable adhesives are potential innovations that could disrupt the medical device industry.
- Pharmaceuticals
- The ability of health-monitoring patches to dispense drugs could shake up the pharmaceutical industry and change how people receive medication.
- Wearable Technology
- Health-monitoring patches and stretchable adhesives could be seen as disruptive innovations compared to current bulky wearable technology currently in use.
