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Title: A wearable patch for continuous analysis of thermoregulatory sweat at rest

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
 [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [3];  [1];  [3]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Materials Sciences Division
  2. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Materials Sciences Division
  3. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The body naturally and continuously secretes sweat for thermoregulation during sedentary and routine activities at rates that can reflect underlying health conditions, including nerve damage, autonomic and metabolic disorders, and chronic stress. However, low secretion rates and evaporation pose challenges for collecting resting thermoregulatory sweat for non-invasive analysis of body physiology. Here we present wearable patches for continuous sweat monitoring at rest, using microfluidics to combat evaporation and enable selective monitoring of secretion rate. We integrate hydrophilic fillers for rapid sweat uptake into the sensing channel, reducing required sweat accumulation time towards real-time measurement. Along with sweat rate sensors, we integrate electrochemical sensors for pH, Cl-, and levodopa monitoring. We demonstrate patch functionality for dynamic sweat analysis related to routine activities, stress events, hypoglycemia-induced sweating, and Parkinson’s disease. By enabling sweat analysis compatible with sedentary, routine, and daily activities, these patches enable continuous, autonomous monitoring of body physiology at rest.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF); Nanomanufacturing Systems for Mobile Computing and Mobile Energy Technologies (NASCENT); Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center (BSAC); Bakar fellowship
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1815944
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Vol. 12, Issue 1; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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