At Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, University of Manitoba researchers created a body sensor using Wrigley’s Doublemint gum coupled with carbon nanotubes. A member of the research team was tasked with chewing a piece of gum for thirty minutes followed by an alcohol bath of the chewed gum. The result was then mixed with a solution of carbon nanotubes, resulting in a sensor that is able to accurately measure how much it is bent and flexed. The strain sensor may end up being used for monitoring the movement of various parts of the body and perhaps even gather vital signs data as well.
Interestingly, the researchers noted that the device can also detect humidity levels in its environment, swelling along with rising humidity, a fact that can be detected in the same way as the physical strain applied to the device.
Here’s an American Chemical Society video demonstrating the sensor:
Study in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces: Gum Sensor: A Stretchable, Wearable, and Foldable Sensor Based on Carbon Nanotube/Chewing Gum Membrane…
Via American Chemical Society: New stretchable, wearable sensor made with chewing gum…