The technique incorporates accurate detection and location of the arterial blood vessels in the wrist, and obtain a relevant 2D pressure map.

An important biosignal that indicates the status of cardiovascular health and alerts concerning several cardiac conditions including high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis is a pulse wave. Conventional pulse wave measuring devices require the patient to wear a blood-pressure measuring cuff or stiff tong-shaped sensor and can mostly be performed at hospitals. They are also designed to measure signals only at a single location, making it difficult to accurately place them on the artery, leading to less precise measurements. All this is cumbersome. [1]

Figure 1. Pulse Wave Measurement Using Extremely Thin Printed Sensor Patches

Figure 1 shows Recently, a POSTECH research team led by Professor Sungjune Jung (Department of Convergence IT Engineering and Department of Materials Science and Engineering), Dr. Sanghoon Baek (Department of Convergence IT Engineering), and Professor Sung-Min Park (Department of Convergence IT Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Department of Electrical Engineering) in collaboration with Professor Hyunhyub Ko of UNIST (School of Energy and Chemical Engineering) has developed a wearable sensor patch thinner than a hair strand that can measure pulse wave signals with high precision. [2]

The ultra-thin sensor with 100 sensor pixels can create a two-dimensional map of pulse waves while accurately measuring pressure signals and the location of arteries. "This research is very important because it holds the potential for the utilization of inkjet-printing technique in the development of next-generation personalized wearable devices," POSTECH researcher Jung Sung-jun was quoted as saying. [3]

The research team fabricated a pressure sensor that mimics skin’s tactility and used it to enable physical pulse waves to be detected by the patch just as they are detected by the fingers. The researchers also used a patch-type device with 100 sensor pixels to obtain a two-dimensional (2D) pressure map on the wrist. Conventional wearable pulse wave sensors are designed to measure signals only at a single location, making it difficult to accurately place them on the artery, leading to less precise measurements. [4]

References:

1. https://www.electronicsforu.com/special/editor-choice/pulse-wave-measurement-extremely-thin-printed-sensor-patches
2. https://www.printedelectronicsworld.com/articles/26116/measuring-pulse-waves-with-hair-thin-printed-patches
3. https://www.ajudaily.com/view/20220228172039492
4. https://www.biospectrumasia.com/news/101/19879/korea-designs-hair-thin-patch-for-measuring-pulse-waves.html

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022), Pulse Wave Measurement Using Extremely Thin Printed Sensor Patches, Anatechmaz, pp. 211