Next-Generation Wearable Devices Could Monitor Metabolic Diseases and Measure Gases Released From Skin
Today's wearable technology, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, assist us in keeping track of our health by tracking pulse rates and temperatures. Wearables that detect gases produced from our skin and assist monitor biomarkers linked to metabolic illnesses like heart disease or diabetes may be available soon. Scientists in the United States are developing the next generation of wearable health monitoring. In a publication published in the journal PLOS One, they explained their research.
Anthony Annerino, the study's principal author, described future wearable health equipment as "totally non-invasive" and "absolutely passive" on the user's part. He is a materials science and engineering graduate student at The Ohio State University.
"There are still a few years left on the project. But we should have proof of concept in six months, and we'd want to have it tested in humans in a year "Professor of materials science and engineering Pelagia-Iren Gouma, a research co-author, noted.
This is how the future generation of wearable health monitoring might appear.
According to Gouma, their ultimate product will be a little gadget that may be worn behind the ear or on the nails in low-sweat areas of the body. She thinks the next generation of skin sensors they're working on will become the new standard.
The majority of wearable sensors under investigation use electrical impulses to detect substances secreted in sweat in order to analyse human biomarkers. However, such sensors often need a lot of sweat merely to acquire a reading.
Their sensors, on the other hand, can function on significantly lower quantities of gaseous acetone emitted from the skin, according to Annerino.
Acetone, one of the chemicals released by the skin, may disclose a lot about the human body's inner workings. These gases' concentrations in the breath have also been linked to blood sugar levels and fat-burning rates.
Annerino and his colleagues are working on a system that will allow them to assess lower acetone concentrations with good selectivity.
The future sensor could also be able to identify symptoms of liver illness.
They developed a film made of plant cellulose derivatives and electroactive polymers. This film may flex substantially depending on how much acetone is detected in its surroundings. The researchers then utilised machine learning and advanced computer techniques to record and monitor the film's bending reaction to various chemical solutions.
Overall, they discovered that the films are sensitive enough to detect long-term bodily changes. Surprisingly, the films may also detect ethanol, which can indicate liver illness in the body.
However, the researchers cautioned that additional study is needed to determine if the films might be used as true body sensors.
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