大象传媒

Sweating it out through exercise may be a New Year鈥檚 resolution but it could also help to provide new insights into the state of your health, according to new sensing technology being developed at 大象传媒.

大象传媒 researcher Woo Soo Kim is part of an international research team that is developing a low-cost, 3D-printed wearable sweat sensor. The research is being carried out in 大象传媒鈥檚 Additive Manufacturing Lab in collaboration with researchers from Zhejiang University. The team recently published a sweeping review of sweat sensor advances in the journal 

According to Kim, innovation in technology design over the past decade has seen the rapid development of wearable sensors鈥攊ncluding sweat sensors. These wearable sensors can assess an individual鈥檚 health by analyzing the chemicals and other health information contained in sweat. 

Unlike collecting and testing other biofluids such as saliva or blood, the method is non-invasive and does not require assistance. These sweat sensors can monitor human biochemical information during exercise, including ions or lactate levels, which can serve as indicators of hydration and overall physiological and psychological wellness. The data collected can also play a role in assessing various health factors, including stress and nutrition.

鈥淭he chemical composition and physical information derived from sweat are of great value in terms of how it reflects human health status,鈥� says Kim. 鈥淒irect sweat collection from the skin surface is an easy-to-perform, straightforward method that avoids privacy concerns in physical implementation. These features mean that sweat has the potential to become a widely accessible sample type that can be monitored in a non-invasive manner.鈥�

While there is a growing range of low-cost wearable sensors that can collect and analyze sweat to assess a person鈥檚 health, Kim鈥檚 3D printable model integrates mechanically flexible electro-chemical sensors and wireless communication functions. 

Typically, sensors can be attached to the skin using a flexible material such as foam, fabric, flexible plastics or rubber and ideally, be powered by wireless chargers.

Sweat metabolites can provide important information that can effectively be used to evaluate the wearer鈥檚 overall health condition, notes Kim. However, he cautions that further research is needed to verify the correlation between information from sweat and blood, using in-vivo validation tests to advance meaningful bio-medical applications.  

AVAILABLE 大象传媒 EXPERT

WOO SOO KIM, associate professor, School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering  
 woosoo_kim@sfu.ca

CONTACT 

MELISSA SHAW, 大象传媒  Communications & Marketing 
236.880.3297 | melissa_shaw@sfu.ca 

大象传媒
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778.782.3210

ABOUT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

As Canada鈥檚 engaged university, 大象传媒 works with communities, organizations and partners to create, share and embrace knowledge that improves life and generates real change. We deliver a world-class education with lifelong value that shapes change-makers, visionaries and problem-solvers. We connect research and innovation to entrepreneurship and industry to deliver sustainable, relevant solutions to today鈥檚 problems. With campuses in British Columbia鈥檚 three largest cities鈥擵ancouver, Burnaby and Surrey鈥敶笙蟠� has eight faculties that deliver 193 undergraduate degree programs and 144 graduate degree programs to more than 37,000 students. The university now boasts more than 170,000 alumni residing in 145+ countries.