The team, which calls the 3D-printed sensors “biosymbiotic devices”, envisages that they will ultimately be used for scenarios such as measuring the onset of frailty in older adults; promptly diagnosing deadly diseases; testing the efficacy of new drugs, and tracking the performance of professional athletes.
“There’s nothing like this out there,” said team leader Philipp Gutruf. “We introduce a completely new concept of tailoring a device directly to a person and using wireless power casting to allow the device to operate 24/7 without ever needing to recharge.”
Current wearable sensors face various limitations. Smartwatches, for example, need to be regularly charged and they can only gather limited amounts of data due to their placement on the wrist.
By using 3D scans of a wearer’s body, which can be gathered via methods including MRIs, CT scans and even carefully combined smartphone images, the 3D-printed devices can be custom-fitted to wrap around various...