Dr. Ali Javey, from the University of California, Berkeley, has invented an electronic health-monitoring device that senses the wearer’s temperature and can perform a rudimentary analysis of the chemical metabolites found in a drop of sweat. The collected data can then be sent wirelessly to a smartphone app.
The part of the wristband that performs this function is very small, around the size of a postage stamp. The device is a step forwards because earlier technology could only monitor for one chemical with human sweat; whereas the new device can monitor four.
The key for developing the device was moving away from silicon chips and developing what are termed ‘rubbery electronics.’ Here traditional electronics, which have the power, are connected with rubber wires, which have the flexibility to fit around a wrist and to respond to arm movements. By monitoring human activity, the device is an example of bioengineering, and how this type of science is being fused with wearable technology.
The device was tested out in a series of laboratory studies. 12 people were equipped with the device, Science News reports, and told to run. Of these test subjects, six were given water to drink and six drank nothing. Within 90 minutes the sensor detected a rise in sodium levels with those who had not drank any water – a signal of dehydration. The sensor stores and broadcasts the information, to a tablet or smartphone.
The primary marketing aspect will be for athletes, to signal to them if they are taking in sufficient fluids and if there is a risk of dehydration. A secondary function will be for medics, to collect overall information about the health of the person who is wearing the device. An example here is monitoring for signs for lead poisoning or other toxins.
The research has been published in the science journal Nature. The research paper is titled “Fully integrated wearable sensor arrays for multiplexed in situ perspiration analysis.”
