(^10) Upfront
A new waterproof, flexible sensor could
be the latest way for athletes to monitor
their health and hydration. Tracking
biomarkers through sweat analysis
is an increasingly popular technique
in diagnostics, but John Rogers and
the rest of his US-China team have
taken it to the next level, by creating
a sweat-collecting sensor that can
function underwater and – crucially –
stay in place on the body, even during
vigorous swimming.
The device combines a waterproof
microfluidic, absorbent pad and a near-
field communication sensor, all attached
using a skin-safe adhesive. Initial trials
have been promising; the devices have
been able to successfully measure
chloride concentration of sweat and skin
temperature. The researchers believe it
could be used for cystic fibrosis screening
in babies (which is also measured by
chloride levels in sweat).
Rogers and his colleagues have been
working on stretchable sensors for some
time (2) and the iterations continue to
evolve – next, they plan to try to measure
electrolyte losses. Well they do say
genius is one percent inspiration and 99
percent perspiration...
Reference
- JT Reeder et al., “Waterproof, electronics-
enabled, epidermal microfluidic devices for
sweat collection, biomarker analysis, and
thermography in aquatic settings”, Sci Adv, 5
[online only] (2019). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.
aau
- https://theanalyticalscientist.com/
techniques-tools/biomarkers-sweat-and-tears
- https://theanalyticalscientist.com/
Sweating the
Small Stuff
Tracking the body chemistry of
athletes – through perspiration