A skin-like computing patch could give wearable health devices something they have long lacked, instant judgment. By running AI directly on the body in milliseconds, the stretchable system sidesteps server delays and points toward faster responses when every heartbeat matters. A stretchable computing patch that clings to skin like a bandage may push wearable medicine into much faster territory. Instead of simply collecting data and sending it elsewhere for analysis, the device can process information right where it touches the body, and do it in milliseconds. That difference matters most when time is thin. In dangerous heart rhythm emergencies, even a short delay can make the gap between useful action and missed opportunity. The patch was developed by researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, working with scientists at Argonne National Laboratory. In tests, the system used built-in artificial intelligence to analyze several kinds of health data while bent and stretched, without depending on a wireless trip to an outside computer. “The future that we’re trying to realize is to make …