Smart Sensors
Smart Sensors for Monitoring and Screening
Smart biosensors have a dual function - in addition to measuring health data parameters and transforming them into an electrical signal, they also perform data analysis upon detection. Thus, Smart Sensors can not only transmit the processed data to remote platforms, but also perform some predefined actions. This increases efficiency, accessibility and flexibility in healthcare for both patients and medical staff. As a result, smart biosensors are helping to improve patient-centered care in healthcare systems worldwide: They can be used in the field of clinical and ambulatory monitoring, for glucose monitoring, cancer screening, in rehabilitation or for Digital Diagnostics in professional sports and recreation.
Use of Biosensors
Smart Sensors are particularly useful when combined with a comprehensive network of various smart patient-monitoring applications and devices, e.g. bioelectrodes, wearables or e‐textiles. Other smart technologies include blood sampling sensors and ingestibles to help manage medical problems and chronic conditions of patients. In addition, smart biosensors can be used for early warning of medical problems and emergencies. These new technologies are also highly beneficial for the care of senior citizens - a constantly growing challenge of our aging society - thus making it an important field of innovation InnoHealth USA is promoting.
More about this entry topic in the video clip of jury member Christian Hofmann, Fraunhofer IIS.
In the following, you will find some possible fields of application whithin Smart Sensors:
Bioelectrodes: Cardiac Monitoring & Electrograms
Bioelectrodes are one of the most frequently used biomedical sensors in clinical medicine today. Since their functional principle is the same for most applications, they take many forms and are used to measure many types of bioelectric phenomena, and to study bioelectric signals in the organism. Some typical examples of applications are cardiac monitoring and electrograms, sleep encephalography, diagnostic muscle activity and many more. Biosensors are mainly used to detect the presence and quantity of metabolic products, but they can also detect bacteria, viruses and fungi as well as disease‐related biomarkers, DNA sequences and DNA mutations.
Wearables: Support the Treatment of Diseases
The overall goal of medical wearables is to support the treatment of diseases and to improve the quality of life of elderly people or people suffering from chronic diseases. Wearable devices are widely used to measure key health indicators such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation and body temperature.
E-Textiles: Electronics in Clothing
Electronic textiles enable various types of functionality by embedding digital components and electronics in clothing: Some fabrics may only provide energy (batteries) or data storage, while others provide physical interfaces. E-textiles are used as emergency assistance to patients suffering from seizures or vertigo, as they help to monitor and communicate a patient's condition in real time by detecting and transmitting physiological signals via motion sensors or vitality sensors.