Researchers Successfully 3D Print Circuits Directly on Human Skin

While the idea of electronic body augmentation is nothing new, researchers at the University of Minnesota have taken things in a new direction, applying circuits to a person’s body using a 3D-printer. The device first places discreet electronics and a series of markers on a person’s skin, then scans them. From this model, computer vision is used to track a person’s movements, so that while a person is bound to move at least slightly during the process, the printer can still produce a usable circuit.

In addition to visual tracking to accommodate humans, the process also uses a specialized conductive ink that is able to cure at room temperature. This type of material would normally need to cure at fairly high temperatures — on the order of 100°C (212°F) — burning a subject’s body. Once a person is done using the circuit, it can simply be washed off.

Another option explored using this technique is the placement of cells directly onto a person’s skin as a treatment method, a technique which has been successfully tried on a mouse. The video below shows a 3D-printed circuit that’s able to wirelessly power a single LED. Watching the process play out in up to 25x speed, it’s easy to see why the tracking would be necessary when in use.