By Stephen Beech via SWNS Homemade "play-putty" can read the body’s vital electric signals. The innovative material - dubbed “squishy circuits" - is able to monitor brain, heart, muscle and eye activity. It could open a new field of flexible, cost-effective biometric sensors, say American scientists.
A new study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst , published in the journal Device , outlines the conductive properties of the material. Study senior author Dr. Dmitry Kireev said: “Squishy circuits are literally child’s play putty, that is also conductive.
" He explained that the squishy circuits – whether homemade or store-bought – are made from flour, water, salt, cream of tartar and vegetable oil. Dr. Kireev, Assistant Professor of biomedical engineering, said: “Salt is what makes it conductive.
” He says, as a child’s toy, the modeling clay is a malleable way to add lights to an art project by connecting them to a power source as a way to teach youngsters about circuits. Now, Dr. Kireev and his team have shown that the material has more potential.
He said: “We used the squishy circuits as an interface to measure electricity or measure bioelectrical potentials from a human body." The team found that, compared to commercially available gel electrodes, the squishy circuits effectively captured various electrophysiology measurements: electroencephalogram (EEG) for brain activity, electrocardiogram (ECG) for heart recordings, electrooculogra.