Would Wyomingites Suffering From Diabetes Get This Color Changing Tattoo? [VIDEO, POLL]
Tattoos have undergone many developments and upgrades through the years. Now there are glow-in-the-dark inks, inks that can only be seen under a black light and even soundwave tattoos. The latest innovation in body ink could revolutionize treatment and the way we think of diabetes.
As November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, this is the perfect time to show some of the benefits this type of tattoo could have for those suffering from type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The above video spotlights how using a liquid with biosensors instead of traditional ink, scientists will be able to turn the surface of human skin into an interactive display.
According to an article form ScienceAlert.com:
So far, the team has developed three different inks that shift color in response to changes in interstitial fluid - the stuff that sloshes around between our cells, comprising some 16 percent of the human body weight.
Of the three sensor inks, the most intriguing is the one that can measure glucose levels. The sensor changes its colour from blue to brown as blood sugar rises.
Having a glucose-sensing tattoo could conceivably make life easier to people with diabetes, who have to rely on pin-prick blood tests throughout the day to monitor their glucose.
The project, called Dermal Abyss, is a collaboration between researchers from MIT and Harvard Medical School, combining efforts from Fluid Interfaces and biotechnology.
Because it is actually the ink that changes colors, if this technology makes it to market some day, tattoos made with it could realistically be in any shape or form, just like a tradition tattoo.