Overview
Currently, there has been an increase in the adoption of wearable biosensors as they are useful in several applications such as the continuous monitoring of vitals to combat diseases such as diabetes and cancer. By producing reliable real-time data through non-invasive measures including sweat and saliva, wearable electrochemical biosensors have been of high interest in recent years and have had major developments. By using these non-invasive measures, there is a significant reduction in potential risks to the consumer since they do not contact blood and are much more appealing. Zimmer and Peacock specializes in manufacturing, testing, and developing these sensors to be used in a wide range of applications based on client, patient, and market needs. To increase their comfortability, the sensors are designed to have appealing qualities such as flexibility, conformability, reliability, and convenience, with the patients’ needs being the focal point of every step of the process.
As the usage of wearable biosensors replaces labor-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive lab tests, it is no surprise that there has been an increase in their demand in recent years. Additionally, by using these wearable sensors, it is highly possible for medicine to be personalized based on the patient’s medical requirements. As a result of this, advancements in technology are necessary to continue to provide point of care applications to patients. This has been implemented and made possible through the usage of wearable biosensors which provide continuous monitoring of vital signs to be analyzed at all times. Specifically, these are necessary, but not limited to, children, psychiatric patients, premature infants, as well as athletes. By providing a means to reduce the burden placed on the healthcare industry as a result of a growing world population as well as the strain put on hospitals due to COVID-19, wearable sensors are nothing but advantageous.
They ease the burden on healthcare professionals and allow space for hospital beds to be used for more urgent cases since they allow remote monitoring and recording of patients’ vitals and signals. It is important to note that professionals expect the world population to increase by 20% over the next 20 years, and so, it is necessary for high-quality health care services to be available. Due to present advancements and recent technologies, this can be made possible. Using Zimmer and Peacock’s technology and expertise in this field, we are able to deliver these sensors with the highest quality to meet consumer’s demands.
Applications
The noninvasive method of continuous monitoring using sweat has been proven to be highly effective since it provides measurements of drugs, sodium, lactic acid, ions, ammonia, and glucose. At Zimmer and Peacock, these sensors manufactured, developed, and tested every day to continuously monitor the necessary parameters required by patients. The appeal of measuring using sweat comes as a result of it being distributed around the whole body and it can be easily obtained. Studies have also proven that underlying health conditions like stress and electrolyte imbalances can be discovered due to changes in the concentration of sweat constituents. For instance, low blood flow in the body is correlated to lactate levels in sweat. As a result, monitoring health factors using sweat is proven to be effective and allows patients to continuously monitor and understand changes in their health. Another parameter monitored using sweat is chlorine in which it has been proven that patients with cystic fibrosis have an exceptionally high concentration of chlorine in their sweat. Due to this, monitoring chlorine levels in sweat is an effective method to diagnose cystic fibrosis, which can be achieved using wearable biosensors. As a result, there is a clear distinct connection for sweat monitoring to be used a method for disease detection, health as well as exercise intensity monitoring.
Ethanol levels in sweat are an indicator of alcohol concentrations in the patient’s blood. Recent technological advancements have shown that a sensor monitoring sweat in tattoo form can send alerts to a smart device regarding the patient’s health and their vitals. This device is proven to be more effective than regular means of using a breath analyzer since it does not face potential errors caused by external factors like toothpastes, mouth wash, or water vapor. Additionally, this device is much faster as it can provide results in just 10 mins, as compared to the traditional device which has 0.5-2 hours turn around. As a result, it can be seen that using this device would be an extremely effective and fast method of detecting alcohol levels in the user’s system.
As technological advancements are made every single day and new methods are researched, scientists are developing and testing a wide range of different sensors with different applications to come to life. This includes revolutionary sensors that could save lives every single day. Amongst these is a t-shirt containing a sensor designed to measure stress levels through the analysis of parameters including breathing, heart activity, and motion analysis. By sending data to a smartphone, this device also allows coaches to schedule their athletes’ training programs. Another example is tiny sensors fitted into clothing that monitor mental conditions by measuring body temperature, heart rate, and skin conductance. By doing this, data is sent to a smartphone and a necessary response is issued. Additionally, the clothing contains a screen with LED lamps that displays positive statements to help grieving or panicked people. One of the most useful digital clothing examples is a vest developed by Italian researchers that is made from conductive fabric which monitors heart and breathing rate. The vest is washable/reusable, adaptable, and comfortable, all of which are highly desirable qualities. It has been cited to be ideally used to monitor patients’ health after being discharged from hospitals. Smart clothing may also be developed to prevent bedsores in which electrodes fitted into the clothes send small shocks to specific parts of the body to increase blood flow to that area. This clothing monitors nutrients, oxygen, and blood flow levels in the body. Researchers have developed helmets that may be used to treat depression. As opposed to a previously studied case (electroconvulsive therapy) where patients may suffer memory loss as a result of electrical pulses, this technology ensures the patient does not feel the pulses. This study has revealed positive results in which patients have shown improvements in depression. Finally, smart clothing has been developed for premature babies which prevents excessive sweating by the baby. This technology is a great advancement as a significant proportion of premature babies die or suffer complications as a result of excessive sweating.
At Zimmer and Peacock, our years of experience in the field of sensor manufacturing allows us to make groundbreaking technological advancements every day. Our team of dedicated researchers, scientists, technicians, and analysts work hard every day to deliver the most optimum results from our sensors. The sensors are adaptable based on the client’s needs, with the patient’s requirements are always at the heart of the process.