Reviewed by Alex SmithJun 24 2022
The health of a vehicle, including its tire pressure, air-fuel ratio, and engine oil pressure, has been continuously monitored in real-time by smart sensors created by the automotive industry for many years. Together, these sensors can offer a driver an early warning system to see possible issues before they need to be fixed.
An infrared image of a person wearing a smart mask concept. Image Credit: University of Missouri.
Now, in a related biological vein, Zheng Yan, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri College of Engineering, has just published two studies demonstrating various ways to enhance wearable bioelectronic devices and materials that can provide better real-time monitoring of a person’s health, including vital signs.
Developing a ‘Smart’ Face Mask
The COVID-19 pandemic has made wearing a mask a hot topic in many people’s minds. Yan’s lab has been working on creating breathable soft bioelectronics as a result.
Yan claimed that the concept of incorporating bioelectronics into a breathable face mask that can track a user’s physiological state depending on the characteristics of their cough came to him and their colleagues naturally. Their research was just published in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano.
Different respiratory problems lead to different cough frequencies and degrees. Taking chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as an example, the frequency of cough in the early morning is higher than that in the daytime and night. Our smart face mask can effectively monitor cough frequencies, which may assist physicians with knowing disease development and providing timely, customized interventions.
Zheng Yan, Assistant Professor, College of Engineering, University of Missouri
The mask may help to identify the correct way to wear a mask in public settings utilizing a bioelectronic sensor in addition to monitoring a person’s physiological state, according to Yan. While automated reminders are not yet possible with the mask, researchers want to add that option in the future.
Laser-assisted Fabrication of Wearable Electronics
The construction of wearable bioelectronics, according to Yan, might still benefit from the use of a method known as laser-assisted manufacturing, which has been used by scientists for ten years.
Laser-assisted fabrication is simple, scalable, cost-effective, and easily customizable. This can lower the cost of wearable electronics and benefit both their practical, one-time use and personalization by providing customized devices for health care applications.
Zheng Yan, Assistant Professor, College of Engineering, University of Missouri
Yan and his group recently investigated the possibilities of employing a material called MoO2, a metallic conductor, in a research that was published in Science Advances, a publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
“It exhibits high electrical conductivity, chemical stability, MRI-compatibility, and biocompatibility, which is well suitable for construction of various bioelectronic sensors and stimulators,” Yan stated.
Yan suggested that one possible use for this strategy may be to assist with respiratory monitoring.
Monitoring a person’s breathing rhythm will be useful for diagnosis of some diseases, such as sleep apnea. Also, we could concurrently monitor the heart rate, heart rate variation, and electroencephalograms to provide more comprehensive information for the study of sleep apnea.
Zheng Yan, Assistant Professor, College of Engineering, University of Missouri
The paper was published in ACS Nano. Yun Ling, Yadong Xu, Pai-Yen Chen, Zhilu Ye, Minye Yang, and Liang Zhu, all from the University of Illinois, Chicago, are the study's additional authors. Grants from the National Science Foundation served as the source of funding (ECCS-1914420 and CMMI-2045101). The writers alone are responsible for the material, which does not necessarily reflect the funding organizations’ official positions.
Science Advances published the research. Other authors are Ganggang Zhao, Yun Ling, Xaioqing He, Zanyu Chen, Ogheneobarome Emeje, Cherian J. Mathai, Alexander Brown, David Stalla, Yadong Xu, Zehua Chen, and Shubhra Gangopadhyay at MU; Yajuan Su and Jingwei Xie from the University of Nebraska Medical Center; Dinesh Reddy Alla and Jie Huang from Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Chan Song Kim, Qian Chen, and Pai-Yen Chen are all students at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and Chicago, respectively.
The University of Missouri provided startup funds, an EM Excellence Award, grants from the National Science Foundation (1917630 and 2045101), the University of Nebraska Medical Center provided startup funds, and the National Institute of General Medical Science of the National Institutes of Health provided grants (R01GM123081 and R01GM138552).
The authors alone are responsible for the material, which does not necessarily reflect the funding organizations’ official positions.
Journal Reference:
Ye, Z., et al. (2022) A Breathable, Reusable, and Zero-Power Smart Face Mask for Wireless Cough and Mask-Wearing Monitoring. ACS Nano. doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.1c11041.
Zhao, G., et al. (2022) Laser-scribed conductive, photoactive transition metal oxide on soft elastomers for Janus on-skin electronics and soft actuators. Science Advances. doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abp9734.