Wearable Skin Patch Developed by NCSU Detects Poisons and Warns Users with Haptic Feedback
Researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) have developed a wearable skin patch capable of detecting various environmental toxins, including gaseous, aerosolized, and aqueous poisons, as well as heavy metals in water. The device, approximately the size of a business card, alerts the wearer through haptic feedback, vibrating against the skin immediately upon detection of a hazard. This direct, tactile warning system was chosen over smartphone notifications to ensure rapid awareness, as explained by Erim Uzunoğlu, a PhD student and first author of the Device paper. The team also engineered tiny textured surfaces on the patch to fine-tune the vibration sensation, making it more attention-grabbing and even creating a 'poison-warning Braille' to identify the specific danger. The patch is self-contained, featuring its own battery, sensors for six environmental hazards, a microcontroller, and an actuator, all encased in photovoltaic cells that allow it to recharge from sunlight, providing approximately... 
