Efficient Skin Temperature Sensor and Stable Gel‐Less Sticky ECG Sensor for a Wearable Flexible Healthcare Patch

• Published in: Advanced healthcare materials 2017-09, Vol.6 (17), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Yamamoto, Yuki, Yamamoto, Daisuke, Takada, Makoto, Naito, Hiroyoshi, Arie, Takayuki, Akita, Seiji, Takei, Kuniharu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adhesion tests; Echocardiography; EKG; Electric Impedance; electrocardiogram sensors; Electrocardiography; Electrocardiography - instrumentation; Film thickness; film thickness dependencies; Gels; Health care; healthcare patches; Nanotubes, Carbon - chemistry; Polyethylene Terephthalates - chemistry; Real time; Sensors; Skin; Skin temperature; Skin Temperature - physiology; Temperature; Temperature effects; temperature sensors; Transdermal Patch; Wearable Electronic Devices; Wearable technology
• ISSN: 2192-2640; 2192-2659
• DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201700495

Wearable, flexible healthcare devices, which can monitor health data to predict and diagnose disease in advance, benefit society. Toward this future, various flexible and stretchable sensors as well as other components are demonstrated by arranging materials, structures, and processes. Although there are many sensor demonstrations, the fundamental characteristics such as the dependence of a temperature sensor on film thickness and the impact of adhesive for an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor are yet to be explored in detail. In this study, the effect of film thickness for skin temperature measurements, adhesive force, and reliability of gel‐less ECG sensors as well as an integrated real‐time demonstration is reported. Depending on the ambient conditions, film thickness strongly affects the precision of skin temperature measurements, resulting in a thin flexible film suitable for a temperature sensor in wearable device applications. Furthermore, by arranging the material composition, stable gel‐less sticky ECG electrodes are realized. Finally, real‐time simultaneous skin temperature and ECG signal recordings are demonstrated by attaching an optimized device onto a volunteer's chest. The effect of film thickness on the precision of monitoring skin temperature as well as a gel‐less sticky electrode for electrocardiogram monitoring is studied in this report. Based on the optimized sensor sheet structure, real‐time healthcare recording is successfully demonstrated.