Health.- A new pair of earrings has joined the plethora of Wearable technology that can help monitor well-being, Researchers report of the University of Washington (UW).
He Thermal earring continuously monitors the temperature of the user’s earlobeaccording to researchers. The earring outperformed a smartwatch in detecting skin temperature during rest periodsor, according to the results of a small-scale study of six users. These readings might help users monitor signs of illness, stress, diet, exercise and ovulation, the researchers said, Infobae reports.
“I use a smart watch to track my personal health, but I have found that many people think that smart watches are unfashionable or bulky and uncomfortable.“We’re doing a lot of research to find the best way to improve our understanding of the impact of the virus on our lives,” said co-lead author Qiuyue (Shirley) Xue, a doctoral student in the university’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering in Seattle.
He Smart earring prototype is similar in size and weight to a small clip and has a battery life of 28 days, the researchers said. A magnetic clip attaches a temperature sensor to the user’s ear, while another sensor hangs regarding an inch below to estimate ambient temperature.
The earrings can be decorated with fashionable designs made of resin or with precious stones without affecting their precision, the researchers said.We found that detecting skin temperature on the earlobe, rather than on a hand or wrist, was much more accurate.”Xue said in a university news release.
“It also gave us the option to have part of the sensor hanging down to separate ambient temperature from skin temperature.”Creating a wearable device small enough to be an earring, but robust enough that it often doesn’t require charging, presented an engineering challenge, the researchers said.
“Typically, if you want the power to last longer, you have to have a bigger battery. But then you sacrifice size. Making it wireless also requires more power,” said co-lead author Yujia (Nancy) Liu. She conducted the research while pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Washington and is now at the University of California, San Diego.
The team discovered a way to place a Bluetooth chip, a battery, two temperature sensors and an antenna in the earring by adjusting the way it connects with a device to deliver data. Instead of pairing directly with a device, the earring uses Bluetooth advertising mode: broadcasts used to display a Bluetooth device can be paired. After reading a person’s temperature and passing the data, the earring goes into deep sleep to save power.
Researchers also explored the usefulness of earlobe temperature to guide medical and research effortsA study of five patients with fever found that the average earlobe temperature increased nearly 11 degrees Fahrenheit compared to the temperatures of 20 healthy patients, showing the earring’s potential for fever control.
“In medicine, often We monitor fever to assess response to therapy, “to see, for example, if an antibiotic is working on an infection,” said co-author Dr. Mastafa Springston, a clinical instructor of emergency medicine at the UW School of Medicine.
“Long-term monitoring is one way to increase the sensitivity of capturing fevers, “As they can rise and fall throughout the day,” the researchers said. Earlobe temperature also tends to vary more than core body temperature. In tests, the earring successfully detected temperature variations associated with eating, exercise, stress and ovulation.
“Current wearables, such as the Apple Watch and Fitbit, have temperature sensors, but they only provide an average temperature for the day.and their wrist and hand temperature readings are too noisy to track ovulation,” Xue said.
“So we wanted to explore unique applications for the earring, especially applications that might be appealing to women and anyone who cares regarding fashion.”n, the researchers plan to train the earring’s algorithms to better adapt to each potential use and conduct more extensive testing.Future iterations might also include heart rate and activity monitoring, Xue said.
The devices might be powered by solar energy or by the kinetic energy created by the swinging of the earring. “Eventually, I want to develop a jewelry set for health monitoring,” Xue said. “Earrings would detect activity and health metrics such as temperature and heart rate, while a necklace might serve as an electrocardiogram monitor for more effective heart health data.”
The study appears in the February 12 issue of the revista Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive Mobile Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies.
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2024-07-07 04:17:54
