Researchers at the University of Chicago have developed a stretchable computing patch that can process health data directly on the body within milliseconds, eliminating the need to send information to external servers for analysis.

The skin-like device uses arrays of organic electrochemical transistors to perform neuromorphic computing while remaining flexible enough to bend and stretch with human tissue. Researchers say the technology could eventually power smarter wearable and implantable medical devices capable of making near-instant decisions.

Unlike conventional wearables that transmit data elsewhere for processing, the new system analyzes information locally. Researchers believe this could be critical in medical emergencies where delays of even a few seconds can matter.

To demonstrate its capabilities, the team tested the device using cardiac mapping data linked to ventricular fibrillation, a dangerous heart rhythm disorder that can become fatal if untreated. The stretchable array identified abnormal electrical wavefronts in the heart with 99.6 percent accuracy, even when stretched beyond one-and-a-half times its original length.

Stretchable circuits advance

The work addresses a major challenge in wearable electronics: building computing hardware that remains stable while flexing like human skin.

Researchers fabricated the device using organic electrochemical transistors, which process signals using both electrical currents and ions moving through a gel-like electrolyte layer. The electrolyte also gives the transistors a memory-like property that allows them to retain information over time.

However, manufacturing such systems at high density proved difficult because the soft electrolyte material can spread like a liquid and create short circuits. Traditional chip fabrication methods also risk damaging the flexible surface.

The team solved the issue by engineering a polymer gel that hardens into precise patterns when exposed to ultraviolet light. The process enabled the fabrication of roughly 10,000 transistors per square centimeter on stretchable surfaces.

“What we had to ask was whether we could use or change the properties of these polymers to make them compatible with photolithography—the main patterning method used in the microelectronics industry,” said Sihong Wang, associate professor of molecular engineering at the University of Chicago and co-senior author of the study.

Researchers said the hardware was designed to support neuromorphic computing, where electronic systems mimic some functions of the human brain.

Faster heart data

The team also tested a neural network embedded within the device to evaluate heart attack risk using personal health information, including cholesterol levels, blood sugar, ECG readings, and maximum heart rate. The system achieved 83.5% accuracy during testing.

Researchers say the technology could eventually support wearable systems that not only sense health conditions but also analyze and respond to them directly on the body.

“This is a situation where it’s not feasible to have remote computing. It just takes too long,” Wang said. “But if you have a computing device that can do the analysis within the body, it could be possible.”

Wang’s team is now working to integrate the computing arrays with stretchable wireless communication systems and improved sensors to create fully connected body-compatible health platforms.

“Instead of sending data away to a remote server, we can begin making sense of it right where life is happening,” said Fangfang Xia, computer scientist at Argonne National Laboratory and co-senior author of the study.

The study was published in the journal Nature Electronics.