Issue 22, 2022

Autonomous wearable sweat rate monitoring based on digitized microbubble detection

Abstract

Advancements in wearable bioanalytical microsystems have enabled diurnal and (semi)continuous monitoring of physiologically-relevant indices that are accessible through probing sweat. To deliver an undistorted and physiologically-meaningful interpretation of these readings, tracking the sweat secretion rate is essential, because it allows for calibrating the biomarker readings against variations in sweat secretion and inferring the body's hydration/electrolyte homeostasis status. To realize an autonomous wearable solution with intrinsically high signal-to-noise ratio sweat rate sensing capabilities, here, we devise a digitized microbubble detection mechanism—delivered by a hybrid microfluidic/electronic system with a compact footprint. This mechanism is based on the intermittent generation of microliter-scale bubbles via electrolysis and the instantaneous measurement of their time-of-flight (and thus, velocity) via impedimetric sensing. In this way, we overcome the limitations of previously proposed sweat rate sensing modalities that are inherently susceptible to non-targeted secretion characteristics (pH, conductivity, and temperature), constrained by volume, or lack system integration for autonomous on-body operation. By deploying our solution in human subject trials, we validate the utility of our solution for seamless monitoring of exercise- and iontophoretically-induced sweat secretion profiles.

Graphical abstract: Autonomous wearable sweat rate monitoring based on digitized microbubble detection

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
21 Jul 2022
Accepted
13 Okt 2022
First published
15 Okt 2022

Lab Chip, 2022,22, 4267-4275

Autonomous wearable sweat rate monitoring based on digitized microbubble detection

H. Lin, W. Yu, J. E. D. D. Suarez, H. Athavan, Y. Wang, C. Yeung, S. Lin, S. Sankararaman, C. Milla and S. Emaminejad, Lab Chip, 2022, 22, 4267 DOI: 10.1039/D2LC00670G

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