Engineering and IT researchers at Monash University have made significant strides in the field of remote health monitoring by combining nanotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI). They have successfully created an ultra-thin wearable patch designed to be worn on the neck, capable of measuring various vital signs including speech, neck movement, touch, breathing, and heart rates. This breakthrough was achieved through the implementation of a frequency/amplitude-based neural network called Deep Hybrid-Spectro, which automatically monitors multiple biometrics using a single signal.
The implications of this innovation are substantial. In a study, the wearable patch demonstrated the ability to accurately disentangle and monitor 11 different human health signals with an impressive accuracy rate of 93%. The researchers believe that this technology has the potential to revolutionise remote healthcare delivery by detecting just five physiological activities associated with the human throat.
Lead researcher and Monash University professor, Wenlong Cheng, highlighted the potential of emerging soft electronics as wearable patches that mimic second-skin, enabling the monitoring of vital health indicators, facilitating the development of perception robotics, and bridging the gap between natural and artificial intelligence.
In the market landscape, other notable advancements have been made. Nutromics, an Australian company, has developed a lab-in-a-patch utilising DNA sensor technology for continuous diagnostic monitoring. This wearable patch tracks multiple targets in the human body, including disease biomarkers and challenging-to-administer drugs.
Additionally, researchers from the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology have created a stretchable skin patch capable of capturing real-time heart rate signals, exhibiting a strength 2.4 times greater than a traditional fixed silicon sensor.
Furthermore, Indian medtech company Dozee has announced its development of an AI-powered ECG patch for cardiac monitoring, expanding its portfolio of remote monitoring solutions.
The progress made by Monash University researchers in merging nanotechnology and AI through the wearable patch holds great promise for advancing remote health monitoring capabilities, paving the way for improved healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
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