Nearly invisible sensors record biometric data
At the same time that many people are beginning to incorporate exercise and wellness into their daily lives, scientists are working hard to build increasingly small, but specialized sensors.
These mechanisms are designed to fit on people's bodies, being almost imperceptible to the user, in order to provide increasingly specialized and accurate data on health issues.
Whether it takes body temperature, measures blood sugar by "reading" the eyes, or even offers a clearer picture of a person's oral hygiene and dental health, these small and highly sophisticated sensors can improve the level of information that doctors collect and monitor, without burdening the patient with excessive medical equipment.
PSFK Labs' latest Future of Health report described a trend - which experts refer to as "Embedded Vital Monitors" - and examines how these shrinking devices could impact the healthcare sector, according to a report by Neil Jordan and Geoff McCleary on psfk.com.
In particular, as sensor and circuit technology becomes even smaller and more reliable, doctors and researchers are using it to create a new range of "wearable devices" for continuous monitoring of bodily functions.
These devices are embedded directly on the skin, or ingested, in order to record and communicate a range of biometric data.
This data can be used to make a better diagnosis and make a more appropriate decision regarding a potential treatment method, or simply to provide information about a patient's health progress after surgery, or how they respond to certain medications.
Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a sensor that can be attached to the skin and monitor temperature, hydration levels and changes in a person's circulatory system. The flexible sensor is made of gold and silicon and is placed on a person's extremities with a light adhesive on the skin.
A team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego, has also developed a sensor that looks like a temporary tattoo that can measure the physical effort an athlete is putting in. The sensor monitors the chemicals in a person's sweat, measuring the presence of "key" elements, such as lactic acid.
Finally, researchers from The Ubicorp Lab at the National Taiwan University have developed a sensor that can be implanted inside an artificial tooth and can relay information to the dentist using a Wi-Fi signal. The researchers hope to further reduce the size of this implant, allowing it to be placed either between teeth, inside braces, or applied to other oral implants.
Source: newsbeast.gr
