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Saturday 27 July 2013

Biosensor tattoo tells athletes when they're about to hit the wall




Hitting the wall is a term that athletes use to describe the condition where they physically run out of steam.This generally happens when sustained vigorous physical activity causes lactate to build up in the body. When lactate levels get too high, fatigue results. By monitoring those levels, however, athletes can ease back on the activity, allowing their lactate levels to drop before reaching that point of no return by regular blood test which is not practical during prolonged exercises.
But now a team led by the University of California, San Diego’s Prof. Joseph Wang created a flexible electrochemical biosensor tattoo that tell athelete's when they're about to hit the wall. It tells athletes when lactate levels in their body are rising, offering an early warning that the energy stores in their muscles are running low. It is applied to the skin, that temporary-transfer sensor continuously measures lactate levels in the athlete’s sweat. 

It contains an enzyme that oxidises lactate to release electrons. These electrons then generate a current through the sensor's thin and flexible electronics: the more lactate is oxidised, the larger the current. A small device attached to the tattoo measures the current to provide real-time information on lactate levels.

It was tested on 10 subjects who were working out on an exercise bike and it was able to accurately indicate the rise in their lactate levels.

In future, those readings could be transmitted by bluetooth to a cellphone, says Wang.

The technology could be used not only in the training and performance tracking of athletes, but also for soldiers and other people who are required to perform intense physical activity.

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