Photo: Interesting Engineering
An innovative sweat-powered electronic finger wrap that can track various health biomarkers like glucose, vitamin C, lactate, and drugs could make health monitoring simpler, more continuous, and less invasive, says Shichao Ding, a postdoctoral researcher at UC San Diego. By relying on fingertip sweat instead of blood, the device allows for continuous health monitoring even during sleep. The device can generate its power by special biofuel cells that extract energy from compounds like lactate and oxidants found in sweat. “We envision integrating sensors with treatment systems,” Ding says, pointing to a future where wearables could detect rising glucose levels in diabetics and automatically deliver insulin. However, there are still challenges to overcome before the wrap becomes widely available.
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