Wearable tech steps up the health-monitoring game
Smartwatches and rings, activity trackers, and other wearable technology are convenient tools for tracking our daily habits, like how well we slept, how far we jogged, and even our heart rates and stress levels.
Wearables help us maintain and monitor our health without having to rely on memory to recall how many days we exercised last week. This makes it easier to keep track of our habits, which is even more crucial as we age.
But Ganapati Bhat, assistant professor in Washington State University’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, wants to see wearable technology track more than just steps. Bhat and his team are researching ways to make lightweight and flexible devices that can accurately monitor diseases like Parkinson’s.
“Watches and rings give good metrics, but may not be optimal for some diseases,” Bhat says. “In Parkinson’s, we want to closely monitor how the person is walking. Are they bending their knees enough? Is their gait getting slower? To do that, we need something small, lightweight, and without a large battery.”
Hang Liu, an associate professor in the Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles at WSU, and her team might be able to deliver just that. In December, they announced the development of a fiber that blends cotton and electricity-conducting polymer.
WSU textile researcher Hang Liu (Photo Dean Hare)
“The material is woven into the fabric, so you can wash it like other clothes and you won’t feel the difference,” Liu says.
The fiber could be used to collect data on vital signs and movement for the user or their doctor to review later, making it a useful tool for health monitoring, exercise, or even in uniforms for workers handling hazardous materials. It’s comfortable, too.
“A lot of care depends on the recall of the patient, and there is researcher bias, too,” Bhat says. “If we have sensors that are monitoring their symptoms on a real-time basis, then they have more frequent and detailed data to show to a doctor at their visit.”
And if Bhat and his team can develop a lightweight device with a long-lasting battery, it could make it easier for patients to use the device longer.
“Glucose monitors, for example, are patches that monitor glucose levels every few hours. They last a few weeks, but they can only do so much with such a small battery,” Bhat says. “After a while, some people stop using them because they have to be charged or replaced, and that can be annoying.”
So Bhat and his team are researching ways to harvest energy through light and motion to keep these devices working longer. The more comfortable and convenient they are, the better, Liu says. That’s a real boon for older patients.
“People wear clothes every day,” Liu says. “If we can build everything into the apparel, then you don’t have to remember to wear accessories or to take your phone with you.”
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