'Smart' bandages that use 5G technology to diagnose healing to begin trials

Scientists in the UK have designed a new "intelligent" bandage which can detect how well a wound is healing and send a progress report to the doctor.

The bandage, which could be trialled within the next 12 months, uses real-time 5G technology to monitor what treatment is needed and also keep track of a patient's activity levels.

"The intelligent dressing uses nano-technology to sense the state of the wound at any one specific time," said Marc Clement, chairman of the Swansea University's Institute of Life Science in the UK, which led the research.

"It would connect that wound to a 5G infrastructure and that infrastructure through your telephone will also know things about you - where you are, how active you are at any one time," Clement was quoted as saying by BBC News. The plaster would help clinicians know the performance of the specific wound at any specific time, who can then tailor the treatment protocol for the individual. 3D printers would be used to produce the bandages which would bring down the cost, researchers said.