A new study demonstrates how state-of-the-art masks can be used to assess metabolic and respiratory conditions.
A new study demonstrates how state-of-the-art masks can be used to assess metabolic and respiratory conditions.
Personalized wearable devices that monitor people's health are on the rise. From watches to patches and other types of sensors, these smart devices can monitor heart activity, inflammation levels, and more to help patients better manage their health from their own homes. Now, a new type of wearable device can be added to the list: a high-tech paper mask that monitors one's breath.
Caltech's Wei Gao, professor of medical engineering, and his colleagues have developed a prototype for a smart mask that can be used to monitor a range of medical conditions, including respiratory ailments, such as asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and post-COVID-19 infections. In contrast to other smart masks being developed that monitor physical changes like the temperature, humidity, or rate of breathing, this one, called EBCare, can analyze the chemicals in one's breath in real time. ("EBC" is an acronym used in this field that means "exhaled breath condensate.") For example, the mask could monitor asthma patients for levels of nitrite, a chemical that indicates airway inflammation.
Read more at California Institute of Technology
Image: The EBCare mask can analyze the chemicals in one's breath in real-time. (Credit: Caltech/Wei Gao and Wenzheng Heng)
