Japanese researchers have developed a armband that produces sound if you have fever. It is flexible, self-powered, wearable device that goes of in case of high body temperature. The flexible organic components developed for this device are well-suited to wearable devices that continuously monitor vital signs including temperature and heart rate for applications in healthcare.
Professor Takao Someya from the University of Tokyo's graduate school of engineering says that "The fever alarm armband demonstrates that it is possible to produce flexible, disposable devices that can greatly enhance the amount of information available to carers in healthcare settings".The system could also be adapted to provide audible feedback on body temperature, or combined with other sensors to register wetness, pressure or heart rate, he added.
This device combines a flexible amorphous silicon solar panel, piezoelectric speaker, temperature sensor and power supply circuit created with organic components in a single flexible wearable package. Sensors for such applications need to be flexible and wireless for patient comfort, maintenance free and not requiring external energy supply, and cheap enough to permit disposable use to ensure hygiene.
The fever alarm armband incorporates several first-ever achievements. It is the first organic circuit able to produce a sound output, and the first to incorporate an organic power supply circuit. The former enables the device to provide audible information when the flexible thermal sensor detects a pre-set value within the ranges of 36.5 C to 38.5 C, while the latter increases the range of operational illumination by 7.3 times in indoor lighting conditions.
"Conventional sensors based rigid components are unable to meet these requirements, so we have developed a flexible solution that incorporates organic components that can be printed by an inkjet printer on polymeric film" concluded co-author Sakurai from the Institute of Industrial Science.
Source:R&D Magazine
Professor Takao Someya from the University of Tokyo's graduate school of engineering says that "The fever alarm armband demonstrates that it is possible to produce flexible, disposable devices that can greatly enhance the amount of information available to carers in healthcare settings".The system could also be adapted to provide audible feedback on body temperature, or combined with other sensors to register wetness, pressure or heart rate, he added.This device combines a flexible amorphous silicon solar panel, piezoelectric speaker, temperature sensor and power supply circuit created with organic components in a single flexible wearable package. Sensors for such applications need to be flexible and wireless for patient comfort, maintenance free and not requiring external energy supply, and cheap enough to permit disposable use to ensure hygiene.
The fever alarm armband incorporates several first-ever achievements. It is the first organic circuit able to produce a sound output, and the first to incorporate an organic power supply circuit. The former enables the device to provide audible information when the flexible thermal sensor detects a pre-set value within the ranges of 36.5 C to 38.5 C, while the latter increases the range of operational illumination by 7.3 times in indoor lighting conditions.
"Conventional sensors based rigid components are unable to meet these requirements, so we have developed a flexible solution that incorporates organic components that can be printed by an inkjet printer on polymeric film" concluded co-author Sakurai from the Institute of Industrial Science.
Source:R&D Magazine
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