The Latest in Wearable Technology and an Example Developed for COVID-19

Advancing technology becomes a little more integrated into our lives every day. As new inventions emerge, existing technologies also continue to develop. Some of the most remarkable of these developments are undoubtedly in biotechnology as a field. With technology now becoming wearable, "continuous" and "comprehensive" measurements of health parameters through electronic sensors are the most exciting goal in this field.

What are wearable products and technology?

Wearable products are also known as wearable technology, a category of electronic devices that can be worn as accessories, embedded in clothing, implanted into the user's body or even tattooed onto the skin.

Such wearable devices and materials used in the clinic use measurements sensitive to movement of the skin surface over a broad frequency range, from almost zero to several thousand hertz.

Which body data does a wearable product use?

Data are obtained not only from body movements but also from body sounds, without being affected by sounds from the external environment. For example, when such devices are placed on the chest or neck, the recorded data provide detailed analyses of cardiac activity arising from heart movements and blood flow in arteries near the skin surface, airflow in the lungs and windpipe, respiratory sounds, the larynx, esophagus and swallowing movements. However, errors can sometimes occur in these measurements. For example, respiratory rate cannot be determined accurately while running.

One of the latest products in wearable health technology

Science Advances published a study on May 12 in which a new design for wearable technology overcomes these limitations through advanced concepts in hardware-level system designs and anatomically optimized choices. The approach uses a time-synchronized pair of high-bandwidth accelerometers at opposite ends of a skin-interfaced device, with one of the IMUs (inertial measurement units) placed at the suprasternal notch (jugular notch, the front lower part of the neck) and the other at the sternal manubrium (breastbone). This design can separate signals associated with cardiorespiratory and related processes from signals caused by body movement.

Design and features

To facilitate sterilization when reusing the system and isolate the electrolytes used from the external environment, a circuit board is used, completely enclosed in an elastomeric capsule. This flexible board can be easily integrated anywhere on the body and wirelessly charged. Data obtained with this device can be recorded automatically.

This wearable product consists of 3 main components:

1. the device,
2. a customized application as the user interface (an app used on a tablet), and
3. a cloud platform for data storage and analytics.

The user interface can also operate in synchronization with 12 devices simultaneously.

Figure 1:

1. View of the device placed on the neck.
2. Exploded diagram of the components, interconnection schemes and protective design.
3. View of the device next to a 25-cent coin (the diameter of the 25-cent coin is 24.266mm).
4. Images of the device under conditions such as bending and stretching.
5. Models of the images in D.
6. The system's operating mechanism.

Use in sports activities

During running, swimming, fitness and similar activities, very rapid, dynamic and variable accelerations cause errors and difficulties in measurements of heart rate (KH / HR) and respiratory rate (SH / RR). This new dual-sensor platform provides more robust measurements in many activities, such as cycling and playing basketball. For example, during swimming it substantially minimizes signals associated with each stroke, enabling clear calculation of signals associated with inhalation and exhalation cycles.

Figure 2:

1. View of the device on a person cycling.
2. Comparison of RR (respiratory rate per minute) and HR (heartbeats per minute) obtained from dual-sensing (blue squares) and single-sensing (red circles) data while the person cycles for 24 minutes.
3. View of the device on a person playing basketball
4. Comparison of RR and HR determined from dual- and single-sensing data while the person plays basketball for 11 minutes.
5. View of the device on a person swimming.
6. Comparison of RR and HR determined from dual- and single-sensing data while the person swims for 5 minutes.
7. Acceleration data obtained from dual-sensing data during swimming.
8. Magnified data associated with the differential signal and baseline.

Use in occupational health

Whatever the sector, worker health and safety come first. In this context, continuous monitoring of health parameters in people doing heavy physical work, particularly in sectors such as construction, mining and firefighting or similar fields, allows potential problems to be detected early. Where these demanding occupations are carried out, this new design can provide precise measurements even in conditions of high temperature, noise or other environmental factors.

Use in monitoring recovery times in Covid-19 patients

The new device can provide major advantages for monitoring patients at home, particularly in recent cases of Covid-19 and similar conditions. It provides a new way to continuously monitor and record the health of people who do not require hospitalization and can recover while isolated at home. In addition to RR, HR, body temperature and movements, it can capture the intensity and frequency of actions such as coughing, speaking and laughing. These collected data are important for assessing disease symptoms.

The device was tested for 8 days in a test-positive Covid-19 patient. During the patient's recovery, 171 hours of data were obtained, including measurements of dry cough and shortness of breath. It is worth emphasizing that the data obtained are important for symptom assessment.

Widespread use of this technology could improve patient care, help manage the pandemic and also contribute to a better understanding of the disease. It could also be made available for uses in areas other than Covid-19.

Summary

Because of human movement, most wearable technologies cannot obtain precise measurements, particularly for cardiopulmonary (heart-respiratory) measurements. However, measurements of various physiological parameters and activities have been improved with this new technology, which minimizes the interference of loud noise, heat and similar environmental factors with precision, while its waterproof coating also allows use in areas such as water sports.

The technology presented has many implications. For example, it is important to monitor the daily activities of people who have had a stroke and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease outside hospitals and rehabilitation centers. In this process, it offers monitoring independent of ambient sounds (without a microphone), without violating the person's privacy. It may also be integrated into everyday life in many other areas.

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