The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project relates to the emerging "electronics skin" application. Adapting the technology towards early detection of pressure ulcers for at risk individuals with diabetes will result in prevention of amputations for persons with healed diabetic foot ulcers to less than 1%. In particular, a pressure ulcer is a skin injury resulting from prolonged pressure on the skin, often complicated by diabetic's common inability to feel pain due to nerve damage and blood circulation problems reducing the body's ability to heal and increasing risk of infection. Thus, early detection of pressure ulcers is important to prevent worsening conditions that necessitate amputation of limb(s). The technology from this project will result in a low-cost continuous monitoring system that is seamless to one's body and daily activities, enabling improved care for at risk individuals with diabetes.
This I-Corps project is based on the technology that combines electrically conductive nanomaterials with a flexible, rubber-like polymer platform in a novel design. The stretchable and flexible electrodes are composed of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes partially embedded in a polydimethylsiloxane substrate, which facilitates reliable and stable devices under both stretching and bending. As a proof-of-concept, the sensor was successfully tested for measuring biological signals of a person. This technology will directly impact the development of sensing and electronic storage devices toward medical and e-skin applications. In particular, the resulting endeavor will directly benefit the medical field, providing greater insight into prognosis and pattern recognition at critical wound development stages.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
