In our time the health and fitness apps are gaining momentum. Many people use their phones and smartwatches to track heart rate and other metrics while exercising. Now, a new smart device may be changing the crowded market. Researchers from Ohio State University developed a sensor they called a “smart chain”. The necklace can monitor blood glucose levels through the wearer’s sweat.
The researchers hope that this device will be able to use the chemical biomarkers found in sweat to detect various changes in a person’s health. The smart necklace, which comes with a functional clasp and pendant, uses a resonant circuit, instead of a battery. The resonant circuit reflects radio frequency signals sent by an external reader system
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For the study, researchers asked participants to cycle indoors for 30 minutes and then take a 15-minute break. During the break, the group consumed sugary drinks before the second round of riding. The sensor in the smart chain successfully tracked the amount of glucose and blood sugar, moreover the device only needed a minimal amount of sweat for the sensor’s interface to work.
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“Sweat actually contains hundreds of biomarkers that can reveal very important information about our health status,” says Jinghua Li, professor of materials science and engineering at Ohio State University. “The next generation of biosensors will be so bio-intuitive and non-invasive that we will be able to identify key information contained in a person’s body fluids.”