New Wearable Device Offers Real-time Blood Pressure Monitoring

Seoul National University College of Engineering announced that a investigation squad led by Professor Seung Hwan Ko of nan Wearable Soft Electronics Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, has developed a wearable physics instrumentality that attaches to nan tegument for illustration a bandage and enables real-time, continuous monitoring of humor unit complete extended periods.

Unlike accepted cuff-based humor unit monitors that usage an inflatable aerial bladder to use unit to nan arm, this caller exertion continuously measures humor unit pinch a compact, elastic physics patch, garnering world attraction for its convenience and innovative design.

Supported by SNU-Global Excellence Research Center constitution project, this collaborative study was conducted jointly pinch Carnegie Mellon University (U.S.) and has been published successful nan online version of Advanced Functional Materials (Impact Factor 19.0, apical 4.9% successful JCR for Materials Science).

Globally, only 21% of nan estimated 1.3 cardinal group pinch hypertension efficaciously negociate nan condition, posing a awesome nationalist wellness concern. However, nan cuff-based humor unit measurement method presently successful wide usage is constricted to one-time measurements, making continuous measurement difficult. In addition, nan size of nan cuff causes discomfort, making it unsuitable for semipermanent humor unit monitoring during regular life. Additionally, Measurement inaccuracies tin besides hap owed to improper positioning aliases stress-induced changes during use.

Such limitations forestall discovery of move humor unit changes linked to individual wellness position and lifestyle, which hinders early diagnosis and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. There is an urgent request for caller technologies that let patients to comfortably measurement their humor unit continuously by simply attaching a instrumentality to nan skin.

The investigation squad that tackled this problem devised a continuous humor unit monitoring exertion based connected nan study that nan clip it takes for electrical signals (electrocardiogram) and mechanical signals (pulse) generated simultaneously successful nan bosom to scope nan wrist varies depending connected humor pressure. Electrical signals are transmitted quickly passim nan assemblage arsenic soon arsenic nan bosom beats, truthful they are detected almost instantly astatine nan wrist. On nan different hand, mechanical signals are delayed successful transmission arsenic humor is pushed retired during bosom contraction, truthful it takes immoderate clip for nan wrist tegument to move somewhat aft nan bosom beats.

This clip quality is straight related to humor pressure. When humor unit is high, humor travel velocity increases, shortening nan clip quality betwixt nan 2 signals. Conversely, erstwhile humor unit is low, nan clip quality lengthens. Based connected this principle, nan investigation squad implemented a exemplary that continuously measures systolic and diastolic humor unit by precisely detecting nan 2 signals pinch each heartbeat and analyzing nan results.

However, it is not easy to observe subtle changes successful nan tegument caused by humor flow. Therefore, nan investigation squad took nan adjacent measurement and designed an physics instrumentality that people adheres to nan patient's tegument utilizing a unsocial worldly called liquid metal. Liquid metal, which remains successful a liquid authorities moreover astatine room somesthesia and conducts energy well, is suitable arsenic a worldly for this physics instrumentality because it has nan aforesaid elasticity arsenic skin.

However, liquid metallic has very precocious aboveground tension, making it highly difficult to tie circuits precisely aliases create fixed shapes. To flooded this limitation, nan investigation squad devised a unsocial process called "laser sintering." By utilizing this method, which involves heating finely dispersed liquid metallic particles pinch a laser to fuse them together, it is imaginable to tie circuits only astatine circumstantial desired locations. Finally, nan investigation squad successfully developed a wearable physics instrumentality for continuous humor unit measurement that possesses fantabulous electrical conductivity and is easy deformable, without nan request for further chemicals, utilizing this process.

This physics instrumentality has fantabulous electrical and mechanical performance, enabling it to accurately measurement some electrocardiograms and bosom rates originating from nan heart. In addition, nan investigation squad confirmed done experiments that nan instrumentality maintains its capacity moreover erstwhile stretched to 700% of its original magnitude aliases many times stretched much than 10,000 times. Furthermore, they successfully measured nan accelerated emergence and betterment of humor unit earlier and aft existent exercise, demonstrating much precise humor unit monitoring capabilities than nan existing cuff method.

The continuous humor unit measurement wearable physics instrumentality developed successful this study is expected to revolutionize nan measurement we negociate our wellness successful our regular lives. Simply attaching it to nan wrist allows real-time monitoring of humor unit changes, eliminating nan inconvenience of having to measurement humor unit only astatine hospitals aliases fixed locations arsenic before. Especially for patients pinch chronic conditions for illustration hypertension, often referred to arsenic a "silent killer," this physics instrumentality provides applicable assistance by enabling them to show their existent information anytime and anywhere.

It tin besides way abrupt changes aliases betterment successful humor unit during exercise, making it useful for personalized workout prescriptions and fittingness coaching. Furthermore, it has business imaginable arsenic a halfway exertion that tin beryllium integrated into various types of wearable devices, specified arsenic smartwatches, patch-type aesculapian devices, and breathable clothing-type sensors. In nan agelong term, it is expected to lend to accelerating nan presence of a smart healthcare era wherever anyone tin forestall diseases and negociate their wellness successful mundane settings alternatively than successful hospitals.

Professor Seung Hwan Ko, who led nan study, commented, "This investigation challenges nan accepted belief that humor unit measurement is inconvenient and capable only erstwhile a day. Our strategy proposes a caller healthcare interface tin of detecting and analyzing physiological signals noninvasively and successful existent time." He added, "Given its imaginable applications successful intensive attraction monitoring, workplace safety, and manner wellness information analytics, this exertion could go a applicable instrumentality for improving value of life successful nan modern era."

Co–first authors Jung Jae Park and Sangwoo Hong are moving connected follow-up investigation to further beforehand biosignal-based smart sensor exertion based connected this study. The 2 researchers scheme to proceed their investigation to heighten nan practicality and expandability of this exertion by integrating various substrate materials, wireless connection functions, and AI-based information study technology.