Smart Necklace Monitors Health Through Sweat

Researchers from Ohio State University have developed a smart necklace that could monitor the chemical biomarkers in sweat to detect changes in the wearer’s health. The team recently demonstrated a battery-free, wireless biochemical sensor capable of measuring glucose levels excreted through sweat when exercising, suggesting the necklace could also track other biomarkers secreted through sweat.

The necklace is equipped with a clasp and pendant and uses a resonance circuit for power rather than an internal battery, which reflects RF signals broadcasted by an external reader system. The researchers tested the necklace using participants who cycled indoors for 30 minutes, took a 15-minute break to consume sugary drinks, then cycled again. They found that their biochemical sensor did pick up changes to their glucose levels after consuming said drinks.

“Sweat actually contains hundreds of biomarkers that can reveal very important information about our health status,” stated Jinghua Li, assistant professor of materials science and engineering at OSU. “The next generation of biosensors will be so highly bio-intuitive and non-invasive that we’ll be able to detect key information contained in a person’s body fluids.”

Bodily fluids, including sweat, tears, saliva and urine, contain telltale markers if someone is suffering from disease, infection or even emotional trauma, leading the researchers to believe they could custom tailor sensors to detect those ailments. This could also help detect neurotransmitters and hormone levels and even identify ion disorders in spinal fluid associated with TBIs (traumatic brain injuries).

“We hope that eventually these sensors can be seamlessly integrated into our personal belongings,” Li explains. “Some of us may wear necklaces; some may wear earrings or rings. But we believe these sensors could be placed in something we all wear and that it could help us better track our health.”