As wearable technology grows ever more delicate and minute, some medical gadgets are on the brink of merging seamlessly with our skin. Researchers at Stanford University have now created a flexible electronic sticker that can wirelessly monitor a person's pulse, respiration and muscle activity at the same time.

随着可穿戴技术变得越来越精致和精细，一些医疗设备正处于与我们皮肤无缝融合的边缘。斯坦福大学的研究人员发明了一种灵活的电子标签，可以同时无线监测人的脉搏、呼吸和肌肉活动。

A recent description of the unique system, known as the BodyNet, claims the soft and lightweight sensors merge comfortably with the skin, stretching and flexing imperceptibly with each movement, heartbeat or breath.

最近，对这种独特系统的描述，称为“人体网”，声称这种柔软轻便的传感器与皮肤舒适地融合在一起，随着每一个动作、心跳或呼吸，它都在不知不觉中伸展和弯曲。

These precise wireless measurements are then beamed from the sticker to a nearby flexible receiver, clipped somewhere onto a person's clothing.

然后，这些精确的无线测量数据，从贴纸上传送到附近的一个灵活的接收器上，可能就夹在你的衣服上。

So far, the technology has only been demonstrated on one individual, and the receiver is still a bit clunky, as you can see in the image below.

到目前为止，这项技术只在一个人身上演示过，而且接收器仍然有点笨重，如下图所示。


But after three years of work, the team plans to refine their design even further. In the future, they hope physicians can use the device to track sleep disorders and heart conditions in real time.

但是经过三年的努力，该团队计划进一步改进他们的设计。他们希望在未来，医生可以使用这个设备实时跟踪睡眠障碍和心脏状况。

"We think one day it will be possible to create a full-body skin-sensor array to collect physiological data without interfering with a person's normal behavior," says chemical engineer Zhenan Bao.

化学工程师鲍振安(音)说:“我们认为，有一天，我们将有可能创造出一种全身皮肤传感器阵列，在不干扰人体正常行为的情况下收集生理数据。”

That dream is still a ways off, but research on wearable technology is moving fast. In recent years, engineers from around the world have been developing new ways to stick medical devices onto the skin or embed medical sensors in tattoo ink.

这个梦想还很遥远，但是对可穿戴技术的研究进展很快。近年来，来自世界各地的工程师们正在开发新的方法，将医疗设备粘贴到皮肤上，或将医疗传感器嵌入纹身墨水中。

As the industry flourishes, recent reports predict wearable medical devices could grow from US$8.9 billion in 2018 to US$29.9 billion 2023.

随着该行业的蓬勃发展，最近的报告预测，可穿戴医疗设备将从2018年的89亿美元，增长到2023年的299亿美元。

While other researchers have been working on similar sensors that stick on the skin, the new design from Stanford uses an impressive new wireless system. The antennae involved here is made from metallic ink, screen-printed onto a rubber sticker that can bend and stretch like human skin.

当其他研究人员正在研究贴在皮肤上的类似传感器时，斯坦福大学的新设计使用了一个令人印象深刻的新无线系统。涉及的天线是由金属墨水制成的，丝网印刷在橡胶贴纸上，可以像人类皮肤一样弯曲和伸展。

As it goes through the motions, the electric current running through this metallic ink is altered, giving minute measurements of a person's physicality. But while this flexible antenna allows for extremely close contact with the skin, all this motion in the antennae can disrupt the radio waves sent to the receiver.

当它经过运动时，流过这种金属墨水的电流会发生变化，从而对一个人的身体状况做出微小的测量。但是，虽然这种灵活的天线允许与皮肤非常紧密地接触，但天线的所有这些运动都能干扰发送到接收器的无线电波。


To fix this, the team of engineers had to create a whole new type of wireless communication - one that would allow the antennae to send strong and reliable signals to the receiver despite being stretched and contracted.

为了解决这个问题，工程师团队必须创造出一种全新的无线通信方式——这种方式可以让天线在拉伸和收缩的情况下，向接收器发送强大而可靠的信号。

The wireless system used is based on radiofrequency identification (RFID), which is the technology that allows you to access a hotel room with an ID card.

使用的无线系统基于射频识别(RFID)，这是一种允许您使用身份证进入酒店房间的技术。

The system works only when a key card is placed near a receiver, because this allows for the battery-free key card to steal a little of the reader's energy. Using this boost, the card generates an access code that it then sends back to the receiver for access.

只有当钥匙卡靠近接收器时，系统才能工作，因为这样可以让无电池的钥匙卡，窃取一点读卡器的能量。借用这个能量，钥匙卡生成一个访问代码，然后发送回接收器进行访问。

The BodyNet stickers work in a similar way, but with a system that becomes insensitive to strain-induced antenna disruptions.

人体网贴纸的工作原理与此类似，但其系统对应变引起的天线干扰不敏感。

"Our BodyNet can maintain full functionality even when subjected to 50 [percent] strain," the authors conclude.

作者总结说：“我们的人体网即使在承受50%的压力时也能保持完整的功能。”

"Furthermore, the platform can continuously analyse critical human signals (pulse, respiration and body movement) and could thus potentially be used for real-time physiological and clinical investigations in a next-generation personal health monitoring system."

此外，该平台可以持续分析关键的人体信号(脉搏、呼吸和身体运动)，因此有可能用于下一代个人健康监测系统的实时生理和临床研究。

The researchers are now working on incorporating sweat, temperature and other sensors into their sticker, while also miniaturising the receiver so it can one day be woven into clothing.

研究人员现在正致力于将汗液、温度和其他传感器整合到他们的贴纸上，同时还将接收器微型化，以便有一天可以将其编织到衣服中。

The findings were published in Nature Electronics.

研究结果发表在《自然电子》杂志上。