WRAL recently reported on the efforts of Dr. Michael Daniele’s research team to develop a wristwatch that collects health data from the skin’s surface. The device can be used for everything from detecting dehydration to tracking athletic recovery, with applications ranging from military training to competitive sports.
“For this proof-of-concept study, we tested sweat from human participants and monitored for glucose, lactate, pH and temperature,” BME Assistant Professor Daniele says. A replaceable strip on the back of the device is embedded with chemical sensors. That strip rests against a user’s skin, where it comes into contact with the user’s sweat. Data from the sensors in the strip are interpreted by hardware inside the device, which then records the results and relays them to a user’s smartphone or smartwatch.
The sensor strips could be customized to monitor for other substances that can be markers for health and athletic performance – such as electrolytes. “We’re optimistic that this hardware could enable new technologies to reduce casualties during military or athletic training, by spotting health problems before they become critical,” Daniele says. “
The paper, “Wearable multiplexed biosensor system toward continuous monitoring of metabolites,” is published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics. First author of the paper is Murat Yokus, a Ph.D. student at NC State. Co-corresponding authors are Michael Daniele and Alper Bozkurt, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State. The paper was co-authored by Tanner Songkakul, a Ph.D. student at NC State; and Vladimir Pozdin, a postdoctoral researcher in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at NC State and UNC.
Their National Science Foundation sponsored work is associated with the Assist Center, which works with universities to create self-powered sensing, computing, and communication systems. To read the full WRAL story click here.