A wearable chemical-electrophysiological hybrid biosensing system for real-time health and fitness monitoring

Nat Commun. 2016 May 23:7:11650. doi: 10.1038/ncomms11650.

Abstract

Flexible, wearable sensing devices can yield important information about the underlying physiology of a human subject for applications in real-time health and fitness monitoring. Despite significant progress in the fabrication of flexible biosensors that naturally comply with the epidermis, most designs measure only a small number of physical or electrophysiological parameters, and neglect the rich chemical information available from biomarkers. Here, we introduce a skin-worn wearable hybrid sensing system that offers simultaneous real-time monitoring of a biochemical (lactate) and an electrophysiological signal (electrocardiogram), for more comprehensive fitness monitoring than from physical or electrophysiological sensors alone. The two sensing modalities, comprising a three-electrode amperometric lactate biosensor and a bipolar electrocardiogram sensor, are co-fabricated on a flexible substrate and mounted on the skin. Human experiments reveal that physiochemistry and electrophysiology can be measured simultaneously with negligible cross-talk, enabling a new class of hybrid sensing devices.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers / analysis
  • Biosensing Techniques
  • Electrocardiography*
  • Exercise Test / instrumentation*
  • Humans
  • Lactic Acid / analysis*
  • Male
  • Monitoring, Physiologic / instrumentation*
  • Sweat / chemistry

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Lactic Acid