
IFP FIBRE SENSOR ATTACHED TO A FACE COVERING DETECTS HUMAN BREATH WITH HIGH SENSITIVITY AND RESPONSIVENESS
From capturing your breath to guiding biological cell movements, 3D printing of tiny, transparent conducting fibres could be used to make devices which can ‘smell, hear and touch’ – making it particularly useful for health monitoring, Internet of Things and biosensing applications.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge used 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, techniques to make electronic fibres, each 100 times thinner than a human hair, creating sensors beyond the capabilities of conventional film-based devices.
The fibre printing technique, reported in the journal Science Advances, can be used to make non-contact, wearable, portable respiratory sensors. These printed sensors are high-sensitivity, low-cost and can be attached to a mobile phone to collect breath pattern information, sound and images at the same time.
First author Andy Wang, a PhD student from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, used the fibre sensor to test the amount of breath moisture leaked through his face covering, for respiratory conditions such as normal breathing, rapid breathing, and simulated coughing. The fibre sensors significantly outperformed comparable commercial sensors, especially in monitoring rapid breathing, which replicates shortness of breath.
While the fibre sensor has not been designed to detect viral particles, since scientific evidence increasingly points to the fact that viral particles such as coronavirus can be transmitted through respiratory droplets and aerosols, measuring the amount and direction of breath moisture that leaks through different types of face coverings could act an indicator in the protection ‘weak’ points.
The team found that most leakage from fabric or surgical masks comes from the front, especially during coughing, while most leakage from N95 masks comes from the top and sides with tight fittings. Nonetheless, both types of face masks, when worn properly, help to weaken the flow of exhaled breath.
“Sensors made from small conducting fibres are especially useful for volumetric sensing of fluid and gas in 3D, compared to conventional thin film techniques, but so far, it has been challenging to print and incorporate them into devices, and to manufacture them at scale,” said Dr Yan Yan Shery Huang from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, who led the research.
Huang and her colleagues 3D printed the composite fibres, which are made from silver and/or semiconducting polymers. This fibre printing technique creates a core-shell fibre structure, with a high-purity conducting fibre core wrapped by a thin protective polymer sheath, similar to the structure of common electrical wires, but at a scale of a few micrometres in diameter.
In addition to the respiratory sensors, the printing technique can also be used to make biocompatible fibres of a similar dimension to biological cells, which enables them to guide cell movements and ‘feel’ this dynamic process as electrical signals. Also, the fibres are so tiny that they are invisible to the naked eye, so when they are used to connect small electronic elements in 3D, it would seem that the electronics are ‘floating’ in mid-air.
“Our fibre sensors are lightweight, cheap, small and easy to use, so they could potentially be turned into home-test devices to allow the general public to perform self-administered tests to get information about their environments,” said Huang.
The team looks to develop this fibre printing technique for a number of multi-functional sensors, which could potentially detect more breath species for mobile health monitoring, or for bio-machine interface applications.
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Respiratory sensors
- DIY Air Quality Sensor
[Andrew Lamchenko], who has built a number of small e-ink-based sensors this year, released another design called the eON Indoor Air Quality Sensor. As his previous sensor designs, the eON boasts ...
- Learn how to breathe properly for exercise and to relax
When we’re relaxed or asleep, we automatically tend to breathe deeply and evenly. “Our body finetunes its oxygen supply,” she says. “We have sensors – so-called chemoreceptors – that recognise whether ...
- UMich respiratory therapists and technologists seek union recognition
It will also provide a better understanding of student perspectives. Approximately 300 respiratory therapists and technologists at the University of Michigan’s University Hospital and C.S. Mott ...
- Irish Diagnostics Firm Altratech Aims to Enter Molecular, POC Testing Space by Supplanting PCR
The Ireland-based firm said its inexpensive capacitance-based assays deliver "molecular detection by proxy," providing rapid, multiplex, quantitative results.
- The Apple Watch Blood Oxygen Sensor Helped This Cleveland Man Discover Life-Threatening Blood Clots
When Apple debuted the Apple Watch Series 6 a little over two years ago, some medical and fitness experts declared its blood oxygen sensor to be mostly ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Respiratory sensors
[google_news title=”” keyword=”respiratory sensors” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Multi-functional sensors
- How to make your home look 10x better without spending much time or money
Dusty and streaked mirrors and appliances can automatically drag down the look of your space. Super absorbent and safe on any surface, these reusable Swedish dishcloths come in a pack of ten, and one ...
- Best spring cleaning washer and dryer deals in 2023
Hurry -- you're running out of time to save big on a washer and dryer during the Discover Samsung spring sales event.
- Navy’s Triton Drone To Undergo Advanced Sensor Testing Over Indo-Pacific
The Navy's MQ-4C Triton, fresh from in-flight capability trials over the Indo-Pacific, is teed up for further testing with advanced capabilities this year.
- Advanced Co2 Sensors Market (Edition 2023): Size is set Acquire Growth rate of 16.14% in the Upcoming Years (2023-2028)
Mar 22, 2023 (The Expresswire) -- "Advanced Co2 Sensors Market" Report New Research Outlook Report 2023 | [The global Advanced Co2 Sensors market size ...
- Thin oxide films for development of model materials for semiconductors, sensors and batteries
One of the first sights greeting visitors to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's (PNNL's) Energy Sciences Center are windows into busy lab spaces. Filled with equipment and researchers going about ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Multi-functional sensors
[google_news title=”” keyword=”multi-functional sensors” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]