Engineers Work On Developing Wearable Biosensor Device

First Posted: May 27, 2016 04:20 AM EDT
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Wearable biosensor device has been developed by the engineers at the University of California, San Diego that can monitor the human body's electric and biochemical signals.  The patch can record the electrocardiogram heart signals in real time as well as trace the levels of lactate, a biochemical that indicates physical effort.

The wearable biosensor can be worn on the chest to communicate easily with a smartphone, laptop or smart watch. Also, it may have a broad range of applications, from doctors checking on their patients with heart problems to athletes who monitor their workouts.

Electrical and nanoengineers for wearable biosensor at the UC San Diego Center worked together to develop the device, including a small electronic board and an adjustable suite of sensors. The device may also transfer the data from electrical and biochemical signals through Bluetooth. According to electrical engineering professor Patrick Mercier and nanoengineering professor Joseph Wang of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, the device was designed to measure the entire suite of physical, electrophysiological and chemical signals simultaneously throughout the day.  

With the majority of commercial wearable biosensors capable only of measuring one signal like either the heart rate or the steps, nearly none of these can measure the chemical signal, like lactate. Having those things in mind, the researchers at the Jacobs of Engineering over at UC San Diego are determined to bridge that gap,  Science Codex reported.

According to Dr. Kevin Patrick of the Center for Wireless and Population Health Systems at the UC San Diego, the capacity to sense lactate and EKG in a wearable biosensor can offer benefits in different areas. Dr. Patrick also noted that the sports medicine community could become interested as to how this kind of sensing may support optimize training procedures for athletes.

Improvement in the wearable biosensor device is the next step for the research team, as they will try to find ways to enhance the connections between the board and the patch. Additional sensors for other chemical indicators like potassium and magnesium, including other important signs will also undergo future improvements, RD Mag reported.

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