A team of researchers has synthesised a new material that solves one of the most difficult problems in the quest to create wearable, unobtrusive sensitive sensors: the problem of pressure.
- The researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst have published their findings in the journal Advanced Materials Technologies. Zohreh Homayounfar, a graduate student at UMass Amherst, is the lead author of the study.
The Context: Comfortable clothing that can monitor the body’s movements and vital signs continuously over long periods of time would give clinicians fine-grained details for remote detection of disease or physiological issues.
- One way to get this information is with tiny electromechanical sensors that turn the body’s movements—such as the faint pulse you can feel when you place a hand on your chest—into electrical signals.
- But increased pressure overwhelms the sensor, interrupting the flow of data, and so the sensor becomes useless for monitoring natural phenomena.
The Solution: To solve this problem, the researchers developed a sensor that keeps working even when hugged, sat upon, leaned on or otherwise squished by everyday interactions.
- The secret, which was detailed in the journal, lies in vapour-printing clothing fabrics with piezoionic materials such as PEDOT-Cl (p-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-chloride).
- With this method, even the smallest body movement, such as a heartbeat, leads to the redistribution of ions throughout the sensor. In other words, the fabric turns the mechanical motion of the body into an electrical signal, which can then be monitored.
The Sensor: This is the first fabric-based sensor allowing for real-time monitoring of sensitive target populations, from workers labouring in stressful industrial settings, to kids and rehabilitation patients.
- Of particular advantage is that this all-fabric sensor can be worn in comfortable, loose-fitting clothing rather than embedded in tight-fitting fabrics or stuck directly onto the skin.
- This makes it far easier for the sensors to gather long-term data, such as heartbeats, respiration, joint movement, vocalisation, step counts and grip strength—a crucial health indicator that can help clinicians track everything from bone density to depression.
What They Said:
Imagine comfortable clothing that would monitor your body’s movements and vital signs continuously, over long periods of time. Such clothing would give clinicians fine-grained details for remote detection of disease or physiological issues.
— Trisha L Andrew
Professor of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering
UMass Amherst
