In a small room inside the math sciences building at the University of Calgary, researchers are working on devices they believe could change how people live, work and heal—not just in the coming years, but half a century from now. The Devices, Interaction and Fabrication for the Future Lab, or DIFF Lab, is a transdisciplinary research group that designs interactive technologies intended to integrate seamlessly with the human body. The group bills itself as probing “the boundaries of human-device symbiosis, seeking to enhance and personalize user experiences through novel devices that seamlessly integrate with the human body.” Aditya Nittala, who oversees the lab, says the work focuses on looking far down the road. “In our research lab, we envision interactive devices for the future. That is, (what) would devices 50 years from now look like?” he said. Projects range from epidermal computing—sensors and patches that can measure glucose, lactate or cortisol through sweat—to robotics designed for social and medical interaction. “We call this epidermal devices, or epidermal computing, where the devices are sitting right there and on your skin, measuring your physiological signals, giving you tactile feedback, or can also work as multi-touch sensors for controlling your other mobile devices,” Nittala said. Some of the research is being carried out in collaboration with Alberta Health Services. Nittala says the goal is to help doctors and patients through low-cost, non-invasive solutions. “One of the key areas that we look into is how we can build cheap, low-cost and scalable health-sensing solutions, and part of that is trying to identify your biomarkers from sweat and in a ubiquitous manner,” he said. Postdoctoral researcher Sutirtha Roy is working on wearable biomarker patches that can detect health and environmental conditions. He says his inspiration came from seeing his father live with diabetes. “The first vision was to create something non-invasive that can actually detect sweat, glucose, lactate or cortisol, which can actually tell us whether we are actually suffering from any kind of lifestyle diseases or not,” he said. Roy is also experimenting with biodegradable patches and even pH detectors painted with hibiscus tea to make the devices inexpensive and environmentally friendly. The ideas might sound unusual, but that’s encouraged in the DIFF Lab. “We always get excited about ideas, but it’s also about how you put the ideas into execution so that you’re able to get a prototype ... an actual physical hardware or software prototype that actually works,” Nittala said. From smart bandages that use electrical stimulation for speedier healing to cloth sensors that change colour in the sun, the lab’s work is intended to move beyond theory into real-world products. But Nittala acknowledges it could be years before Canadians see these devices on the market. “I think we should be able to do this in the next few years,” he said. “But if you want to make a product, you need other aspects, like business logistics and so on.”
