Biodegradable Sensors
July 2, 2016
Tiny sensors made out of thin sheets of silicon are able to monitor temperature and pressure inside the skull, then melt away after they've done their job, according to researchers led by John Rogers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Wilson Ray at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
The advantage of the implantable rice-grain-sized sensors is that they can remain functional during a healing and recovery period--then dissolve and disappear, eliminating the need for a secondary surgical extraction, Rogers says.
Rogers is not sure when the sensors will be available in humans, though he thinks his upcoming move to Northwestern University will facilitate the work needed to get the technology into actual people.
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[Image courtesy of University of Illinois]
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