Close up image of a caretaker helping older woman walk

Residents in hospital and long-term care beds are often frustrated by the confining nature of attached wires. While providers count on the wires to help monitor vital signs, they can be maddening reminder of one’s infirmity. But change may be on the horizon. Researchers at the University of Illinois are developing tattoo-like devices that could offer a wireless way to track residents’ health. “Epidermal electronics” may enable constant medical monitoring anywhere. The devices are part of a growing field, called mHealth, which uses mobile technologies. An ultrathin monitor patch created at the university weighs only three-thousandths of an ounce.