Self-powered wearable sensors for vital signs monitoring

Monitoring vital signs is essential in healthcare, and although there are currently several ways of doing so, either at the hospital environment or at home, conventional devices pose different challenges to their users, being bulky and uncomfortable, often complicated to operate by non-experts, and extremely expensive. With the Internet-of-Things (IoT)-driven device connectivity and technological advancements, as cellular connectivity is replaced by other types of wireless communications like Bluetooth, the fast-growing market of connected wearables also plays an important role in the emerging market of remote patient monitoring, since wearable devices also enable a hands-free operation and continuous recording of useful data.

Integrating sensors for body temperature, breathing rate and cardiac activity directly on textiles would eliminate the inconvenience of uncomfortable hardware directly in contact with the human skin. This is very important in the case of electrocardiography, particularly when performed continuously, which requires the prolonged use of gel electrolytes to reduce the resistance between the skin and the electrode, often causing allergies and skin irritation. In addition to measuring temperature, cardiac activity and breathing rate, wearable sensors can also be used to track a person's body movements, which can also find applications in different fields, such as physiotherapy and rehabilitation. For instance, gait patterns can provide a lot of information about a patient's health. Moreover, these body movements and wasted body heat are often underestimated as a means to generate energy to power wearable devices.

This project aims to innovative develop graphene-based and self-powered vital signs sensors fully integrated on textiles and with wireless communication capabilities. Such sensors offer a comfortable and almost imperceptible way of continuous monitoring, as opposed to heavy and bulky equipment currently in use for the same purpose. Exposed to external stimuli, such as mechanical deformations or variations in temperature, the conductivity of these textiles will change in a predictable way, and this will be explored for sensing purposes. Furthermore, these conducting textiles will also be used as electrodes for electrocardiography. A self-contained and environmentally friendly energy source based on a triboelectric nanogenerator, capable of harvesting energy from the movements of the user, will also be developed using similar materials and methods. This innovative approach of building the sensors directly on textiles will put the UK in the forefront in the field of continuous vital sign monitoring and remote healthcare and has the potential to generate numerous business opportunities.

Allied to self-monitoring and self-care, with the rise of remote health monitoring there is an increasing need of practical and convenient vital sign monitoring devices with sensors that can be self-powered, easily integrated with conventional electronics and wireless communications, and simply operated in the palm of our hands, for instance, using a mobile phone.

To ensure that this project is carried out successfully, a team comprising the PI, 2 postgraduate research students (PGRS) and one experienced postdoctoral research associate (PDRA) will be assembled, and will work closely with two industrial partners with expertise in the textile industry, (Centexbel, Belgium and Heathcoat, UK), and two academic partners from Skoltech, Russia, with expertise in electronics and wireless communications, and UCL, UK, with expertise in data processing, ideal to complement the expertise in materials, nanotechnology and physics of the team at Exeter.

According to Berg Insight the number of remotely monitored patients is expected to grow 47.9% to reach 50.2 million by 2021. With the Internet-of-Things (IoT)-driven device connectivity and technological advancements, this fast-growing market plays an important role in remote patient monitoring since wearable devices enable a hands-free operation and continuous recording of useful data. Moreover, graphene, the main material we aim to explore in this project, has recently been proposed as an answer to the problem of increasing bacterial resistance, as it displays antibacterial properties, an additional functionality to the highly innovative devices proposed in this project.

With consumers and general public as ultimate beneficiaries of the advances that this project will generate, it is of paramount importance to engage with all stakeholders to bring the technology generated closer to commercialisation.

In terms of industrial engagement, we start with the support of two textile companies, Centexbel, the scientific and technical centre for the Belgian textile industry, a long-term collaborator of mine, and Heathcoat, a local and well-established textile company based in Tiverton, with whom we already have a non-disclosure agreement and are discussing further collaborations even beyond this project. To increase the visibility of this work amongst industrial partners, we will take part in several events such as UK based Wearable Technology and Digital Health Shows, and IDTechEx Wearable Europe Show, as well as Innovate UK and similar knowledge transfer networking events. My participation in similar events has already generated great interest from UK and overseas companies, with projects currently under development. We will have a Business Manager providing support for commercialisation and impact, management of joint intellectual property rights, and to identify follow-on funding opportunities.

This area of research is very appealing to the general public. With public engagement being an area I truly value, I will take on specific training courses to improve my communication skills. I am already working with the Public Engagement and Widening Participation teams at Exeter to deliver research seminars to local schools and receiving students from in the scope of the "Work Experience" programme, which will allow students from disadvantaged backgrounds to "shadow a researcher" specifically on this project. I am also working with the CDT in Metamaterials on the "Metabuddies" scheme with activities and seminars secondary schools. Aiming at breaking the gender stereotypes and inspire young girls to follow their aspirations, I am also developing a new scheme in the college, the "Girls into STEMM" initiative. With a wider audience in target, I will produce some videos for a YouTube channel showing scientific experiments that highlight the potential of wearable devices.

For the UK economy to fully benefit from the outcomes of wearable technology, a highly skilled and trained workforce is necessary. This project will provide an excellent opportunity for the early career researchers involved, directly gaining relevant skills in engineering, manufacturing and the development of wearable devices, as well as in leadership and project management. I will attend a Research Team Leadership course to help me enhance the potential of my team. PDRA and PGRs will also participate in personal and professional development activities, with a large portfolio of Researcher Development training courses available at Exeter, and we have also identified other training opportunities, such as GW4 training events and summer schools.

This research will generate new areas of technological development with impact to multiple scientific communities. Results will be presented at leading international conferences encompassing different areas and academic and industrial audiences and published with open-access in leading high-impact international journals.