The wonders of the 21st century have brought to us a sensor that monitors sweat to keep track of your health while you exercise. It is a flexible sensor system that can be easily worn on sweatbands.

This device is small and practical. It is capable of moving along in rhythm and synch with the user. Since is placed on headbands or wristbands it will remain undetected and users can do any exercise that requires a high level of movement or continue normally with their daily activities without any interruptions.

The new sensor developed at UC Berkeley can be made into “smart” wristbands or headbands that provide continuous, real-time analysis of the chemicals in sweat. Credit: UC Berkeley(Wei Gao
The new sensor developed at UC Berkeley can be made into “smart” wristbands or headbands that provide continuous, real-time analysis of the chemicals in sweat. Credit: UC Berkeley/Wei Gao

A group of scientists from Berkeley University designed a device that gathers data from bodily fluids. Since sweat is rich in physiological information and it’s filled with various quantities of different kinds of chemicals, it is easy to measure substances like glucose, lactate, sodium and potassium, and also skin temperature.

The device is connected to and app: data is examined and sent via Bluetooth to a amartphone where results are reachable for anyone who needs them. The idea is that users can be provided with information about dehydration levels, muscle fatigue or stress, body temperature, and also real time pictures of a person’s health; and by using these measurements they will be able to know if there is any problem that needs to be attended.

In the present days, scientists are trying to find new technologies to deal with health issues, looking to make them less invasive considering that various methods to measure people’s health can be sometimes a little too rough. It is true that a person’s health can be simply measured with a single drop of blood but there are lots of people who fear needles or blood, as nobody fears to sweat. Maybe there are few people with a little phobia, but sweating is easier.

According to Ali Javey, the lead author of the project, only a fifth part of a droplet of sweat is enough for the sensor to make accurate measurements. So the device only requires a small amount of bodily fluids to be able to make a good analysis.

The device has been compared with Fitbit, a wristband-like device that only measures the number of steps walked by user, the quality of sleep, steps climbed and other personal metrics. But seems almost incomplete while seated behind this new sweat measurer. Hopefully the combination of both can bring a better solution for health measurements and exercise.

Source: UC Berkeley