SYDNEY, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) — Biomedical engineers in Australia have developed a fully flexible light sensor that precisely detects changes in the body’s electrical signals.
The new sensor, which has only been tested on animals so far, could transform how the human body is mapped by delivering clearer and more precise insights into electrical activity, according to a statement released Monday by Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW).
“Bioelectronic implants are devices that can be placed in the body to monitor electrical signals from organs like the heart and brain,” said Reem Almasri from UNSW School of Biomedical Engineering, the first author of the study published in npj Flexible Electronics.
The device, known as an “optrode,” converts the body’s electrical signals directly into light signals and achieved a 98.4 percent cell viability rate in tests, which researchers said could pave the way for safer and less invasive long-term monitoring technologies.
Unlike traditional silicon- and metal-based implants, whose rigid design can lead to tissue damage, scarring and implant rejection and whose metal wires are prone to electrical interference, the new sensor is designed to mimic the softness of human tissue, with the researchers saying it “overcomes these challenges and marks a major leap forward in the next generation of implantable bioelectronics.”
“In our technology, we can scale the sensor down to tens of microns, about half the width of a human hair, without losing signal quality or introducing any extra electrical noise,” Almasri said, adding that laboratory tests found no signs of toxicity or contamination.
Beyond the heart and brain, researchers said this technology could be adapted to monitor the gut, muscles, or even individual cells. ■
