Epidermal Robot

Someday your health may be monitored by tiny robots that live on your skin. Researchers are already testing a prototype of such a device, dubbed SkinBot, to systematically study a range of human body parameters.

Measuring 2 x 4 x 2 centimeters in size, SkinBot travels over the surface of the skin with suction cup feet. It’s equipped with three types of sensors, including electrodes to monitor biopotentials (such as heart signals), a camera to image skin anomalies (such as wounds or lesions) and an accelerometer/gyroscope to measure body position and/or cardiorespiratory vibrations.

Devices like these could be programmed to conduct examinations in places that would otherwise be inaccessible to medical personnel such as a collapsed building or a battlefield. In the future, they may be further equipped to administer injections or even perform minor surgery.