A new example out of the University of California (UC) San Diego takes this technology into new territory, with engineers building what they say is the first wearable capable of monitoring cardiovascular signals and multiple biochemicals in the body at the same time.

The new stamp-sized patch is the result of a collaboration between two different research ventures at UC San Diego, with scientists working on wearables that can monitor chemical, physical and electrophysiological signals in the body, teaming up with engineers working on advanced blood pressure monitors.

The result of this partnership is a thin sheet of stretchy polymers that can conform to the skin. Packed inside is a blood pressure sensor, a chemical sensor that measures lactate, caffeine and alcohol in sweat, and a sensor that tracks glucose levels in the interstitial fluid. The patch is hooked up to an external power source and gives its reading via a counter-top machine.