Would You Wear Biosensors as Temporary Tattoos?

This is either really cool or really scary, depending on your general level of paranoia.

Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign developed a stretchy, flexible electronic device that can be attached to your skin like a temporary tattoo.

According to Science magazine, researchers wanted to create less obtrusive monitors for premature babies or special-needs patients. The devices were shown to collect data for up to six hours, with no degradation about 24 hours, regardless of where they were placed.

Researchers used a thin wire connected to a computer in their study, but they plan to enable wireless communication as well as a way to store power.

“This is a huge breakthrough,” says nanoengineer Michael McAlpine of Princeton University. “This goes beyond Dick Tracy calling someone with a cell phone on the wrist. It’s having the wrist itself house the device so it’s always with you.”
Though the initial focus was on medical opportunities, study coauthor John Rogers knows that the possibilities are endless. “I think creative folks out there will think of things we haven’t even contemplated,” Rogers says.

For example, the technology has drawn the interest of security-minded people who might be interested in using the electronics to develop a covert communication system. “CIA and others have been interested,” Rogers says. A tiny hidden patch of electronics on the throat, for instance, could allow two agents to covertly communicate with one another. The electronics could detect and transmit muscle activity that represents words, all without the person making a sound.

That sounds ... great?