06.09.15
Robocop meet the Connected Cosmetic Chemist. Folks are becoming comfortable about getting more gadgets attached to various parts of their bodies. Apple Watch, for example, learns your activity and fitness levels. It uses that information to improve the accuracy of your measurements and suggest personalized all-day activity goals. It even provides custom reminders to encourage you to achieve them. Now, L'Oréal and University of Illinois researchers are using similar technology to do for skin care science what the Apple Watch has done for data-driven activity enthusists.
The research teams have performed human clinical studies using mechanically soft arrays of thermal actuators and sensors that laminate onto the skin to provide rapid, quantitative in vivo determination of both the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity, in a completely non-invasive manner. Comprehensive analysis of measurements on six different body locations of each of 25 human subjects reveal systematic variations and directional anisotropies in the characteristics, with correlations to the thicknesses of the epidermis (EP) and stratum corneum (SC) determined by optical coherence tomography, and to the water content assessed by electrical impedance based measurements.
The sensors and actuators can be used interchangeably in two different modes to assess thermal transport. Researchers are also able to study other factors that impact skin health, such asblood flow near surface arteries and veins.
The research teams have performed human clinical studies using mechanically soft arrays of thermal actuators and sensors that laminate onto the skin to provide rapid, quantitative in vivo determination of both the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity, in a completely non-invasive manner. Comprehensive analysis of measurements on six different body locations of each of 25 human subjects reveal systematic variations and directional anisotropies in the characteristics, with correlations to the thicknesses of the epidermis (EP) and stratum corneum (SC) determined by optical coherence tomography, and to the water content assessed by electrical impedance based measurements.
The sensors and actuators can be used interchangeably in two different modes to assess thermal transport. Researchers are also able to study other factors that impact skin health, such asblood flow near surface arteries and veins.