Portable Skin Patch for Continuous Hospital-Quality Blood Pressure Measurements
Revolutionary Skin-Mounted Electronic Patch for Continuous Blood Pressure Monitoring
Researchers at Seoul National University have developed an innovative skin-mounted electronic patch for continuous blood pressure monitoring, offering a potential game-changer for hypertension management and cardiovascular disease detection [1][2][3][5].
This groundbreaking device, thin and flexible like human skin, adheres to the wrist like a bandage, enabling comfortable, long-term, continuous blood pressure measurement during daily activities. The key to its success lies in the use of liquid metal sensors, which remain liquid at room temperature yet conduct electricity and stretch with the skin [2][5].
The patch detects the pulse transit time, the delay between heart electrical signals and pulse wave arrival, providing highly sensitive and reliable signal capture [2][5]. This method allows continuous monitoring without inflating a cuff, overcoming the limitations of conventional cuff-based monitors.
The skin-mounted electronic patch is highly durable, stretching up to seven times its size, withstanding over 10,000 bends, and performing accurately even during rapid blood pressure fluctuations such as exercise or stress [5]. In tests, the patch accurately tracked rapid changes in blood pressure before and after exercise, performing better than a standard cuff [3][5].
This technology could significantly benefit over 1.3 billion people worldwide who suffer from high blood pressure, as it enables hospital-level blood pressure monitoring anytime and anywhere. The patch could also help athletes and fitness enthusiasts by monitoring how blood pressure responds to training [3][5].
The study, published in the journal Advanced Materials, was led by co-first authors Jung Jae Park and Sangwoo Hong, who are currently working on integrating the patch with new materials, wireless communication, and AI-driven analysis [1]. The team's ultimate goal is to make the technology more practical and widely accessible, challenging the idea that blood pressure should only be measured once a day in a clinical setting.
The conventional cuff-based blood pressure monitors are bulky, require inflation, and give only one-time readings, making it difficult to track blood pressure continuously during normal activities, exercise, or sleep. The liquid metal sensor requires a precise shaping process, which is achieved using "laser sintering."
Despite the high prevalence of high blood pressure, with only about one in five managing it effectively, this innovative skin-mounted electronic patch offers hope for more personalized and proactive health care.
- The innovation in mechanical engineering, the skin-mounted electronic patch, is developed for continuous blood pressure monitoring, potentially revolutionizing hypertension management and cardiovascular disease detection.
- The use of liquid metal sensors in this technology allows for comfortable, long-term, continuous blood pressure measurement during daily activities, overcoming limitations of conventional cuff-based monitors.
- Robotics and science have played a significant role in the development of this technology, as the liquid metal sensor requires a precise shaping process achieved by "laser sintering."
- This advancement in technology could enhance health-and-wellness practices for a vast number of people suffering from medical-conditions like high blood pressure, as it enables continual hospital-level monitoring anytime and anywhere.
