Latest news with #e-tattoo
Fox News
2 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Researchers develop face 'e-tattoo' to track mental workload in high-stress jobs
Scientists say that they have formulated a way to help people in stressful and demanding work environments track their brainwaves and brain usage — an electronic tattoo device, or "e-tattoo," on the person's face. In a study posted in the science journal Device, the team of researchers wrote that they found e-tattoos to be a more cost-effective and simpler way to track one's mental workload. Dr. Nanshu Lu, the senior author of the research from the University of Texas at Austin, wrote that mental workload is a critical factor in human-in-the-loop systems, directly influencing cognitive performance and decision-making. Lu told Fox News Digital in an email that this device was motivated by high-demand, high-stake jobs such as pilots, air traffic controllers, doctors and emergency dispatchers. Lu also said ER doctors and robot/drone operators can also leverage this technology for training and performance enhancements. One of the goals of this study was to find a way to measure cognitive fatigue in high leverage and mentally straining careers. The e-tattoo is temporarily attached to the subject's forehead, and is smaller than current devices in use today. According to the study, the device works by using electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrooculogram (EOG) to measure both brain waves and eye movements. While most EEG and EOG machines are bulky and expensive, the e-tattoo offers a compact and cost-effective solution. Lu wrote that in this study, "we propose a wireless forehead EEG and EOG sensor designed to be as thin and conformable to the skin as a temporary tattoo sticker, which is referred to as a forehead e-tattoo." Lu also added that "human mental workload is a crucial factor in the fields of human-machine interaction and ergonomics due to its direct impact on human cognitive performance." The way the study was conducted was with six participants being shown a screen on which 20 letters flashed up, one at a time, at various locations. Participants were asked to click a mouse if either the letter itself, or its location, matched one shown a given number of letters. Each participant carried out the task multiple times, corresponding to four levels of difficulty. The team found that as the tasks became harder, the different types of brainwaves detected showed shifts in activity that corresponded to a higher mental workload response. The device consists of a battery pack and reusable chips with a disposable sensor. Lu said that the device is currently a lab prototype. "Before it can be ready for commercialization, it will need more development, such as real-time, on-tattoo mental workload decoding and validation on more people and in more realistic environments," she said. "The prototype currently costs $200."
Medscape
3 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Wireless Face e-Tattoo Tracks Mental Strain and Workload
A temporary electronic forehead tattoo that wirelessly measures brainwaves and eye movement may offer an accurate measurement of mental workload (MWL) and mental strain, new research suggested. E-tattoo to track mental workload in real time Using a lightweight battery and thin sensors, the e-tattoo was able to reliably collect electroencephalography (EEG) and electrooculography (EOG) data to estimate MWL in a small study of six participants as they completed increasingly difficult memory tests. The technology is a less bulky and cheaper alternative to conventional brain activity monitors and may help track the mental workload of workers in safety-critical jobs like aviation, air traffic control, and healthcare. Researchers say it also has applications for neurological monitoring of patients with epilepsy or to monitor cognitive decline. 'Our wireless electronic tattoo stands out for its ultrathin, skin-conformal design, which allows for stable EEG/EOG signal acquisition even during dynamic activities like walking or facial movements,' investigator Nanshu Lu, PhD, professor and chair of engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, told Medscape Medical News . 'Unlike other platforms like headbands or glasses, our tattoo is helmet-compatible, low-profile, and uses low-cost disposable materials, making it uniquely suitable for real-world deployment.' The findings were published online on May 29 in the journal Device . Study Details and Performance There is no universally accepted definition of MWL, but it can generally be described as the degree to which a person's working memory capacity and cognitive processes are engaged by an ongoing task, the authors noted. MWL levels can be assessed using subjective self-assessment questionnaires like the post-task NASA Task Load Index, as well as physiological measures such as heart rate, galvanic skin response, EEG, and EOG. The wireless e-tattoo features stretchable serpentine-shaped, graphite-deposited polyurethane electrodes coated with an adhesive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly-styrene sulfonate composite to reduce impedance and improve adhesion to the skin. The e-tattoo is integrated with a battery-powered flexible printed circuit that transmits EEG and EOG data in real-time via Bluetooth Low Energy. To evaluate the e-tattoo efficacy, the researchers analyzed EEG and EOG signals collected on six healthy participants wearing the wireless forehead e-tattoo during cognitive tasks designed to measure working memory, called dual N-back tasks. Self-assessment using the NASA–Task Load Index, task performance metrics, and physiological features were also collected. Each participant completed a single experiment session lasting approximately 2.5 hours, which included three runs of N-back trials. 'This single-session design was sufficient to train individualized models, although variability between participants was observed, especially in the relative importance of EEG vs EGO features,' Lu said. As the cognitive workload increased, frontal delta- and theta-band powers increased, while alpha-, beta-, and gamma-band powers decreased. The authors noted this is in line with studies linking theta-band power to an increase in working memory load and increasing MWL with a decrease in alpha power and increase in frontal theta power. To test the viability of mental workload estimation using the e-tattoo, the researchers then built a random forest model to predict the level of mental workload experienced by participants during the N -back tasks. They found that the model successfully estimated the mental workload for all N levels for all six participants. 'Key findings of our study show that the wireless forehead e-tattoo reliably captures forehead EEG and EOG signals, and these signals can be used to accurately estimate mental workload during a dual N-back task, which is a widely used standard mental workload test,' Lu said. 'Our model achieved robust classification of cognitive load levels using only minimally processed physiological data.' The Road Ahead For forehead EEG/EOG–driven workload detection, the e-tattoo system is already self-sufficient but integration with other physiological sensors such as heart rate or galvanic skin response could improve accuracy and robustness in mental workload vs mental stress differentiation, Lu noted. 'In medical settings, this technology could be very useful for neurological monitoring, including early detection of cognitive decline, noninvasive epilepsy tracking, and assessing patient engagement during neurorehabilitation,' she said. 'Its comfort and unobtrusiveness make it especially appealing for pediatric or geriatric use.' The temporary e-tattoo also holds a cost advantage over traditional EEG systems, with the e-tattoo chips and battery pack priced at $200 and disposable sensors about $20 each. 'Being low-cost makes the device accessible,' study co-author Luis Sentis, PhD, also from The University of Texas at Austin, said in a news release. 'One of my wishes is to turn the e-tattoo into a product we can wear at home.' Currently, the e-tattoo works only on hairless skin but the researchers are working to combine it with ink-based sensors that work on hair. For this new study, Lu also noted that EEG signals were postprocessed and the predictions done offline. 'To make this technology really valuable, we can and need to achieve real-time mental workload assessment and provide timely micro-interventions, such as visual or audio alerts on the phone or even electro tactile stimulations applied to the skin by the e-tattoo before performance decline or burnout occurs,' she said. 'Evaluating these micro-interventions in real-world applications may prove our EEG system's capacity to significantly improve human-AI collaborations,' Sentis told Medscape Medical News .
ABC News
4 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
This face tattoo can read your mind and could make you a better worker
Researchers have developed a $220 temporary face tattoo that can track if a person's brain is working too hard, and whether they should be taking a break. The University of Texas at Austin in the United States developed the e-tattoo, which decodes brainwaves to measure mental strain and tracks whether someone's brain capacity is overloading. The e-tattoo is aimed at monitoring the brain waves of people in professions such as traffic controllers and truck drivers, where lapses in mental capacity can have serious consequences. Researchers said their ultimate goal was to monitor work performance of people in high-risk roles, to determine whether they need to take a break to avoid mental fatigue. The peer-reviewed study said there was a sweet spot for workers in these sorts of roles, where they were engaged and attentive, without being overloaded. "On the contrary, performance may decline when mental workload is too low or too high," the study said. "At low levels of mental workload, a person can become disengaged and make mistakes. "At high levels, a person may become overwhelmed and lose control. "Therefore, managing users' mental workload levels is of significant interest to designers of human in-the-loop systems to optimise performance." Six people had the tattoo applied to them and were asked to complete two tasks on a computer designed to test their memories. The tasks went for about two and a half hours to properly capture any fatigue. The tasks would increase in difficulty. Researchers said participants showed higher brain activity signalling increased cognitive demand. They also observed when mental fatigue set in as brain activity decreased. The e-tattoo captured real-time electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrooculography (EOG) signals while the tasks were completed, and researchers interpreted the results. Electroencephalogram signals are electrical activity of the brain recorded through electrodes placed on the scalp, while electrooculography is a technique used to measure eye movements. "We found that the model can successfully estimate the mental workload for all levels for all six subjects," the study said. "Together, these results show that the EEG and EOG data collected by the e-tattoo system contained sufficient information for a reliable estimation of the mental workload evoked by the [tasks] in each of the six subjects." The study found the e-tattoos could also predict mental strain, meaning it could potentially forewarn its subjects about approaching fatigue if necessary. Researchers said while the e-tattoo was successful, it did have its limitations. They found stable skin contact could impact its effectiveness, and sweating could reduce its adhesiveness. As a result, researchers said they would need to test the e-tattoo outside of the laboratory to fully determine its effectiveness. Traditional EEG equipment costs about $15,000 to operate, and can be bulky and not allow for movement. The e-tattoo, its chips, battery pack and sensors cost about $220. Author Dr Luis Sentis said this was a crucial aspect of the study. "Being low cost makes the device accessible," he said. "One of my wishes is to turn the e-tattoo into a product we can wear at home." Dr Sentis said the e-tattoo could potentially be revolutionary in workplaces where mental fatigue was a real risk to employees. "We've long monitored workers' physical health, tracking injuries and muscle strain," he said. "Now we have the ability to monitor mental strain, which hasn't been tracked. "This could fundamentally change how organisations ensure the overall well-being of their workforce." University of Melbourne graduate researcher Jihoon Lim is working on a similar technology to monitor muscle fatigue. He said accurately tracking fatigue in the workplace was a safety matter. "Fatigue, especially mental fatigue, can impair critical cognitive functions such as concentration, decision-making, and reaction speed, increasing the risk of errors and workplace accidents," he said. "Therefore, accurately tracking fatigue in real-time is essential to minimise these risks and maintain optimal productivity and safety standards." Mr Lim said wearable tattoos were an important development for scientists. "E-tattoos are particularly valuable because they offer continuous, non-invasive, and unobtrusive monitoring," he said. "Traditional fatigue assessment methods often rely on subjective self-reporting or occasional clinical evaluations, which can be inconsistent or incomplete. "In contrast, e-tattoos provide objective, real-time physiological data. "This ease of use encourages regular wear, even during prolonged occupational activities, without causing discomfort or disrupting work routines." Mr Lim said the technology would potentially help employees monitor their own wellbeing. "Workers can proactively manage their fatigue, significantly improving workplace safety, health outcomes, and overall efficiency," he said. "By enabling early detection of fatigue, e-tattoos allow timely interventions, including adjustments to work schedules, task rotations, and rest breaks, thus reducing workplace hazards and enhancing employee wellbeing and productivity." The research was supported by the US Army Research Office and published in Cell Press.
