-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Essential Guide to Surface Finishes
We go back to basics this month with a recount of a little history, and look forward to addressing the many challenges that high density, high frequency, adhesion, SI, and corrosion concerns for harsh environments bring to the fore. We compare and contrast surface finishes by type and application, take a hard look at the many iterations of gold plating, and address palladium as a surface finish.
It's Show Time!
In this month’s issue of PCB007 Magazine we reimagine the possibilities featuring stories all about IPC APEX EXPO 2025—covering what to look forward to, and what you don’t want to miss.
Fueling the Workforce Pipeline
We take a hard look at fueling the workforce pipeline, specifically at the early introduction of manufacturing concepts and business to young people in this issue of PCB007 Magazine.
- Articles
Article Highlights
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
AT&S to Present Smart Patches to Fight Infections at CES 2022
January 3, 2022 | AT&SEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

SteadySense, a Styria-based medical technology company, offers a smart patch that continuously measures the body temperature of its users without disturbing their everyday life. The adhesive patch is applied below the arm and is activated via an app on the smartphone. Temperature measurements at five-minute intervals create a continuous curve that shows the body temperature over the measuring period. The data are saved by the patch and can be retrieved through the app at any time.
The process, which is approved as a medical device for professional use, has many advantages over conventional temperature measurement methods. Recording the temperature continuously over time supplies significantly more information than capturing it selectively. Based on the long-term documentation, different base temperatures can be taken into account, and short-term fluctuations caused by external stimuli can easily be identified as outliers.
Rest for Patients
In a clinical environment, patients’ body temperature can be recorded without having to regularly disturb them while they are resting. In addition, this takes some burden off the nursing staff since this form of recording requires less effort than traditional body temperature measurement methods. The smart patch can be worn for up to seven days and is barely perceptible.
“Measuring patients’ temperature accurately over a longer period of time offers doctors additional data for their diagnoses,” Werner Koele, CEO of SteadySense, explains. “Infectious diseases such as COVID-19 may possibly even be identified earlier than with antigen tests, even though they cannot replace such tests.” In medicine, changes in body temperature can provide information about different processes in the body. Infections are usually accompanied by an increase in temperature. The accurate data supplied by the SteadySense patch can support doctors in distinguishing between bacterial and viral infections because the fever curves differ.
AT&S for Flexibility
Moreover, many infectious diseases can be diagnosed at an early stage due to changes in the temperature curve. Using the appropriate algorithms, which SteadySense develops, information on other changes of the body can also be derived from the temperature curve. For example, the app can determine the time of ovulation for women and consequently help with planning a family. Temperature-based contraception is also significantly easier with constant temperature measurements; SteadySense is already working on an appropriate implementation.
A flexible miniaturised electronic system featuring sensors and communication chips supplied by AT&S is used at the heart of the flexible patch. The know-how of the printed circuit board manufacturer in flexible electronics and medical technology is opening up new paths in capturing health data.
AT&S at the CES Las Vegas
AT&S will be presenting these and many other solutions for the first time at one of the world’s most influential technology events – the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Visit us from January 5 to 8, 2022 at our booth #51134 in the Austria Pavilion (Venetian Expo (formerly Sands), Level 2, Halls A-C) and find out everything about how AT&S is helping to shape the future.
Suggested Items
CEE PCB Appoints Markus Voeltz to Business Development Director Europe
04/02/2025 | CEE PCBCEE PCB, a leading manufacturer of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and flexible printed circuits (FPCs) with 3 production facilities in China, is expanding its presence in Europe and began providing local support in March 2025. With 25 years of experience in the industry, the company is enhancing its commitment to European customers by providing more direct collaboration for technical inquiries and advice.
Flexible Thinking: The Key to a Successful Flex Circuit Design Transfer
03/26/2025 | Joe Fjelstad -- Column: Flexible ThinkingThis month, I will discuss the most common design errors that fabricators see, typical areas of miscommunication between design and fabrication, and what designers can do to avoid putting their jobs on hold. This is no simple task, given the many things that can go wrong in flex circuit manufacturing, but many of these issues originate in the design process.
Flexible Thinking: Flexible Circuit Technology—Looking Back and Forward
03/03/2025 | Joe Fjelstad -- Column: Flexible ThinkingFlexible circuit technology came on the scene as a solution largely for niche applications, however, the technology has emerged in recent years as a cornerstone of modern electronics. Today, the technology is enabling a broad range of new product designs across industries. From wearable devices and medical implants to foldable smartphones and numerous automotive applications, flexible circuits are arguably at the heart of much of the next generation of innovations.
Pusan National University Develops One-Step 3D Microelectrode Technology for Neural Interfaces
02/28/2025 | PRNewswireNeural interfaces are crucial in restoring and enhancing impaired neural functions, but current technologies struggle to achieve close contact with soft and curved neural tissues. Researchers at Pusan National University have introduced an innovative method—microelectrothermoforming (μETF)—to create flexible neural interfaces with microscopic three-dimensional (3D) structures.
Growth and Innovation at FCT
02/26/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007During DesignCon, I met with Tony Plemel, senior applications engineer at Flexible Circuit Technologies (FCT), to discusses the company’s growth and expansion opportunities, including its expansion of its inTFlex EMS facility. In this interview, Tony explains how FCT’s commitment to customer service and focus on communication and responsiveness allow the company to leverage its capabilities for continued expansion.