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Modern society brings to life a vast array of technologies many of which were not even conceptualized fifty years ago. Amazing strides have been accomplished in biotechnology in the past decade alone, which advances medical aptitude exponentially. Biotechnology has created a cancer spit test, a speech restorer, and an autonomous wheelchair (Wenner). One of the most interesting biotechnologies recently revealed to the public is called an epidermal electronic systems or, EES. The epidermal electronic system is an electronic patch which has the ability to monitor heat rate, brain waves, and muscle activity (Ma). Once EES is able to be mass produced, hospitals hope to use it instead of bulky electrodes (Kim, Epidermal 842). Gamers look forward to the possibility of this technology changing the face of video games. The countries involved in the development of the epidermal electronic systems anticipate that it may have future spying capabilities. The epidermal electronic system is primarily aimed at biotechnology but has the capabilities of crossing into other fields.
The epidermal electronic system is a leap forward in medical technology. There are many advantages and disadvantages associated with EES. Many of the issues revolving around the safety of EES will be resolved as the technology improves and continues to develop. On the other hand, many of the social and security issues will only increase as the technology becomes more advanced and is developed for other uses outside of the medical community. It is a fine line between the technology used to monitor hospital patients and the technology used to interrogate prisoners. The many uses of the epidermal electronic system range from medical, to gaming, to spy uses. Each of these fields will be benefited as the information about this device expands. The impact it will have on society depends on which direction this technology follows.
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