Drawn-on-skin electronic tattoo as a closed-loop sensing-stimulation system for the muscles
Simultaneous electromyography (EMG) sensing and closed-loop electrical stimulation (ES) could enable interactive muscle training, motor rehabilitation, and kinesthetic feedback. However, current systems often suffer from nonconformal device/skin interfaces, poor wearability, and anatomical variability among users, limiting signal fidelity and stimulation precision. Here, we present a fully wireless, skin-integrated electronic tattoo platform that records high-quality EMG and delivers closed-loop ES through custom drawn-on-skin, conformal electrodes with strong adhesion and high spatial accuracy. The system supports closed-loop muscle interactions across body regions and even between individuals. Machine learning models classify EMG patterns from different hand gestures with >90% accuracy and adapt ES parameters to stimulate specific muscle groups. In a heavy object holding task, users reached the required grip behavior substantially faster than unassisted controls, indicating improved neuromuscular efficiency. This closed-loop framework not only supports personalized muscle control but also supports coordinated activation across multiple sites or users, unlocking possibilities in interactive motor training, remote rehabilitation, and virtual reality environments.
Authors
- Chun Ki Yiu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3841-5327)
- Huisheng Peng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2142-2945)
- Huiling Jia
- Kuanming Yao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8744-8892)
- Jingkun Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5394-4388)
- Xingcan Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4210-2470)
- Faheem Ershad (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3353-9606)
- Lung Chow (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5670-1031)
- Ya Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0965-8226)
- Shengxin Jia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6998-3872)
- Peining Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0566-1660)
- Z W Chen
- Jian Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9768-0932)
- Binbin Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8796-2592)
- Shubham Patel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0046-9031)
- Guangyao Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5664-4898)
- Dong Sun
- Y Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2784-7733)
- Yuyu Gao
- Cunjiang Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0155-0368)
- Xinge Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0522-1171)
Institutions
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- City University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Fudan University (CN)
- Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HK)
- City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Research Institute (CN)
- University of Houston (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2026-04-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aed7673
- Primary Topic
- Muscle activation and electromyography studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- City University of Hong Kong
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee