Samsung's research team unveils an OLED skin patch that can monitor an user's real-time heart rate
Researchers at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT), Samsung’s R&D hub dedicated to cutting-edge future technologies have unveiled a working prototype of a stretchable OLED skin patch that functions as a fitness tracker.
The research team at SAIT was able to integrate an organic stretchable OLED display and a PPG sensor in a single device that can monitor the user's real-time heart rate. They used modified elastomer, a polymer compound with high elasticity and resilience that can withstand up to 30% skin elongation.
The researchers utilized existing semiconductor manufacturing processes and applied them to the OLED display and the sensors to successfully integrate them. Samsung claims it to be the first of its kind in the industry and is expected to increase the consumption of stretchable devices in the future.
However, research is still in the early stage, SAIT researchers confirm. After improvements in the system resolution, stretchability, and measurement accuracy, the device is expected to be commercialized as an end-user product.