Scientists have developed an electronic tattoo that can monitor mental workload in real-time, helping to prevent accidents in high-stress professions like piloting and healthcare. The device, which sticks to the forehead, uses advanced brain wave detection technology to track cognitive effort.
Researchers say the device could be a game-changer for pilots, healthcare workers, and other professionals who need to manage their mental workload to avoid mistakes. “For high-demand scenarios, we hope to have this real-time mental workload decoder that can give people warning and alert them to self-adjust or offload work,” said Dr. Nanshu Lu.
Unlike traditional brain wave detection methods, the electronic tattoo is lightweight, flexible, and wireless. It uses a graphite-based material and four square EEG electrodes to detect different regions of brain activity, along with rectangular EOG electrodes to track eye movements. The device can be connected to a reusable printed circuit using conductive tape and powered by a lightweight battery.
In tests, the electronic tattoo worked as well as traditional devices for monitoring brain waves and eye movements. When participants performed a task with varying levels of difficulty, the device detected shifts in brain wave activity that corresponded to increased mental workload. A machine-learning algorithm was able to predict mental workload based on EEG and EOG data.
The full device is expected to cost less than $200. The team plans to develop an app that can alert users if their mental workload is too high, but warns against over-simplifying tasks to avoid boredom. “Previous studies showed optimal mental performance occurs when demand is not too low or too high,” said Dr. Lu.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/may/29/e-tattoo-could-track-mental-workload-people-high-stake-jobs-study-says