News Health & Medicine

This stick-on ultrasound patch could let you watch your own heart beat

The technology is a big step forward in personalized medicine

ultrasound patch on skin

When stuck to skin, a new ultrasound patch (pictured) can reveal blood flow and changes in the underlying tissue.

C. Wang et al/Science 2022

By Asa Stahl

Picture a smartwatch that doesn’t just show your heart rate, but a real-time image of your heart as it beats in your chest. Researchers may have taken the first step down that road by creating a wearable ultrasound patch — think of a Band-Aid with sonar — that provides a flexible way to see deep inside the body.