Device
American researchers from the The University of Texas at Austin has created a temporary electronic tattoo that helps to identify signs of excessive brain tension and potential burnout.
It is noted that this wireless tattoo, placed on the forehead, decodes brain waves to measure mental stress and signs of potential burnout. According to the developers, this tattoo should improve the safety of people whose professional activities involve constant concentration, such as air traffic controllers and truck drivers.
«We have been monitoring the physical health of our employees for a long time, tracking injuries and sprains. We now have the ability to track mental stress, which was not previously monitored. This can dramatically change how organizations ensure the overall well-being of their employees», — explains professor of egineering at the University of Texas Luis Sentis.
According to the researchers, people have a certain cognitive zone in which they work best when there is no overload and boredom. As noted by senior researcher, professor of Engineering, Nanshu Lu, there is an optimal mental load for optimal performance that is individual to each person.
The electronic tattoo consists of a lightweight battery in the back and sensor stickers as thick as a sheet of paper. The sensors have wavy hinges and coils, which allows them to stretch and adapt to the person’s forehead for a clearer signal. At the same time, the developers claim that their electronic tattoo works even better than EEG.
«It’s amazing that these caps, even though they have more sensors for different areas of the brain, never get a perfect signal because everyone’s head shape is different. We measure the participants’ facial features to make personalized electronic tattoos and ensure that the sensors are always in the right place and receive signals», — Nanshu Lu emphasizes.
The researchers tested their development on six volunteers. They performed memorization tasks with a gradually increasing level of difficulty. The electronic tattoo revealed increased activity of theta and delta brain waves, indicating cognitive stress. The tattoo also showed reduced activity of alpha and beta waves, which indicates mental fatigue.
The developers emphasized that the combination of these indicators can indicate when the brain faces mental difficulties and exhaustion. Scientists have also trained an artificial intelligence model predict a person’s mental stress based on signals from an electronic tattoo. AI was able to distinguish between different levels of mental workload and predict when a person’s brain will be overloaded.
The components of such an electronic tattoo cost about $200 Disposable sensors cost about $20 each. The developers note that, compared to the price of an EEG machine — about $15 thousand, their development looks very promising.
Currently, electronic tattooing only works on hairless skin, but researchers are working to combine it with ink-based sensors that can work on the hair-covered part of the head. This will allow for full head coverage and more complete control of the brain.
The results of the study were published in the journal Device
Source: TechXplore
