Category: Sensors

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3-D Printing Covid-19 Sensors

Sensors 3D printed directly on lungs, heart could be used with surgical robots to diagnose, monitor disease

Michael McAlpine and University of Minnesota colleagues used 3D printing and motion capture technology to print electronic sensors directly on organs that are expanding and contracting, such as the heart and lungs. This could be used to diagnose and monitor the lungs of patients with COVID-19.

This builds on the team’s technique which enabled the printing of electronics directly on the skin of a hand that moved left to right or rotated.

They used a balloon-like surface and a specialized 3D printer, with motion capture tracking markers to help the 3D printer adapt its printing path to the expansion and contraction movements on the surface. An animal lung in the lab was artificially inflated and a soft hydrogel-based sensor was printed directly on the surface.

According to McAlpine, “the broader idea behind this research, is that this is a big step forward to the goal of combining 3D printing technology with surgical robots. In the future, 3D printing will not be just about printing but instead be part of a larger autonomous robotic system. This could be important for diseases like COVID-19 where health care providers are at risk when treating patients.”

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Covid-19 Sensors

Organic electronic patch + algorithm continuously monitor multiple COVID symptoms

Northwestern and University of Illinois researchers have partnered to combine a COVID symptom-detecting wearable with a method to organize and analyze the massive data sets required to accurately show disease progression. The technology will be used in hospitals and nursing homes, to monitor both patients and healthcare workers, to identify contagion early in an effort to reduce the risk of spread.

Building on his stroke-monitoring wearable, John Rogers at Northwestern uses a patch that sits at the base of the throat and continuously monitors cough, heart and respiratory sounds. The University of Illionois algorithm, developed by Naresh Shanbhag, will allow these parameters to be tracked quantitatively.

The goal is to extract detailed, and sometimes subtle, parameters from the raw data, which provide insights into disease progression. This includes analyzing cough intensity, whether it is wet or dry, and whether a patient swallows afterward,

In addition to hospital patients, the team was able to monitor a nurse before, during, and after she had contracted the virus. The data collected, in combination with the nurse’s detailed notes throughout her illness, allowed the team to pick up heart rate spikes and changes in coughing activity that would have gone undetected in standard non-ICU hospital care.

Data is transmitted from the patch to a phone or a tablet, and then to the cloud, where it is processed. The group is attempting to move the processing directly to the patch and device to save energy consumption, and improve security and privacy.

According to Shanbhag: “We will acquire data for both ill and healthy patients, and learn the characteristics of the data by developing COVID-19 specific, low-complexity machine learning algorithms. We’ll then use the learned models for predicting whether a patient is ill or not and how the disease will progress over time for new patients or individuals.”

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Sensors

AirPod light sensors for health monitoring

A source has told DigiTimes that Apple supplier ASE Technology will manufacture ambient light sensors for AirPods. This could be used to monitor step count, head movement, and heart rate. It could also track blood oxygen levels — a key metric in detecting COVID-19.

The shift from consumer-grade to less-obtrusive medical-grade health monitoring at scale is the obvious way forward.

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Sensors

Ultra thin sensor measures pulse, scans fingerprints, vein patterns

University of Tokyo’s Takao Someya has developed a very thin sensor, worn around the finger or arm, which measures pulses and scans fingerprints and vein patterns, which can prevent identification errors in hospitals and nursing homes.

It consists of a thin film transistor and an optical sensor, based on Takao Someya, on a sheet, allowing simultaneous high-resolution imaging and high-speed data readouts.

The sensor will be refined to also measure blood sugar levels and blood oxygen content.

Join ApplySci next week at Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Silicon Vally, where Zhenan Bao, Sheng Xu, Wei Gao and others will discuss the latest developments in chemical and electronic biosensors.

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Sensors

Joe Wang on next-generation biosensors

Joseph Wang is the SAIC Endowed Chair professor, Chairman of the NanoEngineering Department and Director of the Center for Wearable Sensors at University of California, San Diego, and Editor-in-chief of the journal Electroanalysis.

A prolific researcher with more than 1,200 papers and 100,000 citations, he recently developed an ultrasound patch to monitor blood pressure; self-propelled and targeted drug delivery; and continuous Levadopa monitoring for Parkinson’s management; amongst other full body, unobtrusive, advanced organic sensors for the next generation of healthcare.

Professor Wang described some of his groundbreaking work at the ApplySci conference at Harvard Medical School on November 14, 2019.

Click to view a video of his talk.

Join ApplySci at the 13th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Silicon Valley conference on February 11-12, 2020 at Quadrus Sand Hill Road.  Speakers include:  Zhenan Bao, Stanford – Vinod Khosla, Khosla Ventures – Mark Chevillet, Facebook – Shahin Farshchi, Lux Capital – Carla Pugh, Stanford – Nathan Intrator, Tel Aviv University | Neurosteer – Wei Gao, Caltech – Sergiu Pasca, Stanford – Walter Greenleaf, Stanford – Sheng Xu, UC San Diego – Dror Ben-Zeev, University of Washington – Mikael Eliasson, Roche  – Unity Stoakes, StartUp Health – Garth Smith and a delegation of startups from the Ontario Brain Institute

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3-D Printing Featured Sensors

3D-printed, remote-controlled lab on chip for quicker, more accurate monitoring

Imperial College’s Martyn  Boutelle has developed a 3D printed, remote-controlled Lab on a Chip for real-time monitoring with improved personal care.

Previous ‘Lab on a Chip’ devices have required large external support systems. Sensor deterioration over time inhibited their clinical effectiveness.

The device can monitor chemical fluctuations, giving quicker and more accurate results, and potentially gather data that was previously not possible.

Boutelle said that the “research has shown that these sensors are capable of successfully monitoring patients who are in incredibly unstable conditions and provide their healthcare team with reliable information as soon as they need it, as well as a means of alerting them when critical clinical changes occur.”

In a study, intensive care unit TBI patients were monitored. A sampling probe was implanted in the brain, and paired with an external device to continuously monitor the levels of multiple substances , including glucose and pyruvate.

The brain requires a continuous supply of glucose to function, but too much of it can be detrimental. Declining pyruvate levels could indicate a lack of oxygen  to the brain.  Providing earlier access to this data can save lives, and has not been possible before.

Join ApplySci at the 13th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Silicon Valley conference on February 11-12, 2020 at Quadrus Sand Hill Road.  Speakers include:  Zhenan Bao, Stanford – Vinod Khosla, Khosla Ventures – Mark Chevillet, Facebook – Shahin Farshchi, Lux Capital – Carla Pugh, Stanford – Nathan Intrator, Tel Aviv University | Neurosteer – Wei Gao, Caltech – Sergiu Pasca, Stanford – Walter Greenleaf, Stanford – Sheng Xu, UC San Diego – Dror Ben-Zeev, University of Washington – Mikael Eliasson, Roche  – Unity Stoakes, StartUp Health

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Featured Sensors

Stretchable, degradable semiconductors for health monitoring

Zhenan Bao has developed stretchable, degradable semiconductors, with the ability to conform to internal organ surfaces, and dissolve and disappear when no longer needed.

This is the first example of a material that simultaneously possesses the three qualities of semiconductivity, intrinsic stretchability and full degradability. Other attempts resulted in semiconductors that either did not break down completely, or had reduced electrical performance when stretched.

Zhenan Bao has solved this problem – by combining a rubbery organic polymer with a semiconducting one.

Her team synthesized and mixed the two degradable polymers, which self-assembled into semiconducting nanofibers embedded in an elastic matrix. Thin films made of these fibers could be stretched to twice their normal length without cracking or compromising electrical performance. When placed in a weak acid, the new material degraded completely within 10 days.   (Bao said that it would take much longer in the human body.) The semiconductor was  non-toxic to human cells growing on the material in a petri dish.

Zhenan Bao will discuss this technology, and more of her latest work, at Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Silicon Valley on Feb 11-12
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Sensors Sweat Wearables

Sweat sensor monitors metabolites to detect gout, metabolic and other disorders

Caltech’s Wei Gao has developed a wearable sensor that monitors metabolites and nutrients in blood by analyzing sweat. Previously developed, less sensitive, sweat sensors mostly target electrolytes, glucose, and lactate.

Gao develops devices based on microfluidics, which minimize the influence of sweat evaporation and skin contamination on sensing accuracy.  Previous microfluidic-based wearable sensors were mostly fabricated with a lithography-evaporation process, requiring  complicated and expensive fabrication processes. Gao uses graphene.

In a study, the sensor was used to measure respiratory rate, heart rate, and levels of uric acid and tyrosine. Tyrosine can indicate metabolic disorders, liver disease, eating disorders, and neuropsychiatric conditions. Elevated Uric acid is associated with gout.

Gao believes that the high sensitivity of the sensors, and  the ease with which they can be manufactured, could enable them to be used at home to monitor gout, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

Professor Gao will be a featured speaker at Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Silicon Valley on February 11-12, 2020.

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Sensors Virtual Reality Wearables

Wireless, wearable sticker adds a sense of touch to VR

John Rogers, Yonggang Huang and Northwestern colleagues have developed an “epidermal VR” system that adds a sense of touch to any virtual reality experience.

The device incorporates a distributed array of 32 individually programmable, millimeter-scale actuators, each of which generates a discrete sense of touch at a corresponding location on the skin. Each resonates most strongly at 200 cycles per second, where the skin exhibits maximum sensitivity. The actuators are embedded into a soft silicone polymer that adheres to the skin without tape or straps. The wireless, battery-free, device communicates with a phone or tablet through near-field communication protocols.

When a user touches the screen, that pattern of touch transmits to the patch. When video chatting from different locations, users can feel each other’s touch.

The next generation will be slimmer and lighter, with actuators that can produce heating and stretching sensations.  They will eventually  be thin and flexible enough to be woven into clothes.

Click to view Nature video

Join ApplySci at the 13th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Silicon Valley conference on February 11-12, 2020 at Quadrus Sand Hill Road.  Speakers include:  Zhenan Bao, Stanford – Vinod Khosla, Khosla Ventures – Mark Chevillet, Facebook – Shahin Farshchi, Lux Capital – Carla Pugh, Stanford – Nathan Intrator, Tel Aviv University | Neurosteer – Wei Gao, Caltech – Sergiu Pasca, Stanford – Rudy Tanzi, Harvard – Sheng Xu, UC San Diego – Dror Ben-Zeev, University of Washington – Mikael Eliasson, Roche  – Unity Stoakes, StartUp Health

 

 

 

 

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Babies Diabetes Sensors

Pacifier sensor detects glucose levels in babies

UCSD’s Joe Wang has developed a soft, flexible, pacifier-based biosensor that continuously monitors glucose levels in saliva to detect diabetes in babies. Until now,  continuous glucose monitoring in newborns,  available only in major hospitals, requires piercing the infant’s skin to reach interstitial fluid.

The team created a proof of concept pacifier where small amounts of saliva were transferred through a narrow channel to a detection chamber.  An enzyme attached to an electrode strip converted glucose in the fluid to a weak electrical signal, which could be detected wirelessly by an app. The strength of the current correlated with the amount of glucose in saliva samples.

The preliminary analysis was conducted on adults with type 1 diabetes.  The pacifier detected changes in glucose concentrations in  saliva before and after a meal.

The device could also be configured to monitor other disease biomarkers.

Joe Wang will be a keynote speaker at ApplySci’s 12th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Boston conference on November 14, 2019 at Harvard Medical School.  

Other speakers include:  Brad Ringeisen, DARPA  – Carlos Pena, FDA  – George Church, Harvard – Diane Chan, MIT – Giovanni Traverso, Harvard | Brigham & Womens – Anupam Goel, UnitedHealthcare  – Nathan Intrator, Tel Aviv University | Neurosteer – Arto Nurmikko, Brown – Constance Lehman, Harvard | MGH – Mikael Eliasson, Roche – Nicola Neretti, Brown – R. Jacob  Vogelstein, Camden Partners – Yael Mandelblat-Cerf, Biogen

 

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Sensors

Wearable sensor monitors antibiotic levels in real time

Imperial College’s Timothy Rawson has developed a non-invasive microneedle bionsor patch capable of detecting antibiotic levels in the body. The goal is to reduce the need for blood sampling and analysis, optimize dosage, reduce drug-resistant infections and offer personalized drug delivery, both inside and outside of the hospital. A recent study showed that the accuracy of the real-time monitoring technology was similar to slower, periodic blood tests.

The technology has been used for continuous monitoring of blood sugar, but this is the first time it’s been used to monitor changes to drug concentrations. The researchers believe that  the sensors could form the basis of a ‘closed loop system’, like an insulin pump – where antibiotics are administered to patients, and levels are continuously monitored to optimize dosage.

Join ApplySci at the 12th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Boston conference on November 14, 2019 at Harvard Medical School featuring talks by Brad Ringeisen, DARPA – Joe Wang, UCSD – Carlos Pena, FDA  – George Church, Harvard – Diane Chan, MIT – Giovanni Traverso, Harvard | Brigham & Womens – Anupam Goel, UnitedHealthcare  – Nathan Intrator, Tel Aviv University | Neurosteer – Arto Nurmikko, Brown – Constance Lehman, Harvard | MGH – Mikael Eliasson, Roche – Nicola Neretti, Brown

Join ApplySci at the 13th Wearable Tech + Neurotech + Digital Health Silicon Valley conference on February 11-12, 2020 on Sand Hill Road featuring talks by Zhenan Bao, Stanford – Rudy Tanzi, Harvard – Shahin Farshchi – Lux Capital – Sheng Xu, UCSD – Carla Pugh, Stanford – Nathan Intrator, Tel Aviv University | Neurosteer – Wei Gao, Caltech

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Sensors

Biodegradable optical sensor monitors physiological function, can provide electrical stimulation, in brain and heart surgery

Northwestern’s John Rogers has developed a biodegradable optical sensor that can be implanted after brain injury and not require a second surgery for removal.  According to Rogers: “Optical characterization of tissue can yield quantitative information on blood oxygenation levels. Fluorescence signals can reveal the presence of bacteria as a diagnostic for the formation of an infection at an internal wound site. Fluorescence-based calcium imaging can reveal metrics of brain activity. There are also ways that light can be used to activate certain biological processes and that’s a next step for us.”

In addition to monitoring physiological function, the sensors  can be used as electrical stimulators for accelerating neural regeneration in damaged peripheral nerves, or as drug delivery agents programmed to release drugs at specific times.

The dissolvable sensors are also being used to monitor the oxygen level around the heart during surgery, and as a temporary pacemaker to deliver electrical stimulation following heart surgery.

Join ApplySci at the 12th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Boston conference on November 14, 2019 at Harvard Medical School featuring talks by Brad Ringeisen, DARPA – Joe Wang, UCSD – Carlos Pena, FDA  – George Church, Harvard – Diane Chan, MIT – Giovanni Traverso, Harvard | Brigham & Womens – Anupam Goel, UnitedHealthcare  – Nathan Intrator, Tel Aviv University | Neurosteer – Arto Nurmikko, Brown – Constance Lehman, Harvard | MGH – Mikael Eliasson, Roche – Nicola Neretti – Brown