I-Corps: Wearable Health Sensors

University Of Akron, Akron OH

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to improve overall health through on-body biomedical monitoring. Although this study focuses on a wearable textile material for use specifically in cutaneous sensing applications, these same materials will have broader implications for public health since they can be used for a variety of sensing or device applications. The materials developed in this work could be functionalized for the detection of a wide variety of biomarkers and such innovations could profoundly impact our ability to diagnosis, treat, and prevent diseases, from analysis of common diabetic neurological complications to the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF). These materials could also be used in smart clothing to allow for biomonitoring in advanced prosthetic limb applications, bedridden patients, or athlete performance tracking. Development of a wearable sensing material capable of determining physiological parameters at the surface of skin could also make construction of health monitoring sensor arrays relatively easy and inexpensive. This I-Corps project is based on innovative, textile-based sensing materials capable of continuous monitoring of biomarkers in sweat, which could have significant impact on the field of biomedical monitoring. These sensing materials would be better than current sensors as they could provide continuous information about a person's health based on a molecular level analysis of sweat biomarkers in a flexible, lightweight device that could be worn in any application without discomfort. This technology can provide reliable, real-time monitoring of dehydration (sodium ions), muscle fatigue (lactic acid), and temperature in cutaneous sweat. These sensors are made of functionalized carbon nanotube nanocomposites with an electrospun polymer base. One sensor, using a polypyrrole functionalization, has been demonstrated to measure temperature in a physiologically relevant range (25-45 degrees Celsius). Selective nanocomposite materials functionalized with calixarene can selectively measure sodium ions in synthetic sweat, without ionic interference; while, nanocomposite materials functionalized with lactate oxidase have been demonstrated to selectively measure lactic acid without glucose interference. The data collected from the developed sensor could lead to better understanding of health and disease processes, leading to better treatments and health outcomes for all patients.