Flexible Hydration Sensor for Non-Invasive Skin Disease Diagnosis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current skin disease diagnosis tools are invasive, expensive, and lack accessibility, with visual identification being non-ideal due to the indistinct nature of skin diseases, and existing thermal sensing technologies have limitations such as shallow measurement depth, high costs, and lack of clinical validation.
Innovation Solution
A flexible, battery-free hydration sensor with a heating element and temperature sensor arranged to measure thermal properties of the skin, integrated with a microcontroller for wireless communication, allowing for non-invasive monitoring of skin hydration status and disease diagnosis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If visual identification methods are used for skin disease diagnosis, then the diagnosis can be performed without specialized equipment, but the diagnostic accuracy is poor due to the indistinct nature of skin diseases and inability to detect sub-surface layer damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual identification (optical/mechanical) with thermal sensing technology. The thermal sensor detects thermal properties of skin at different depths, enabling non-invasive measurement of sub-surface layer conditions that are invisible to the naked eye, thus improving diagnostic accuracy while maintaining accessibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces thermal energy as an intermediary to detect skin conditions. Instead of directly observing skin morphology, the thermal sensor measures thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and thermal diffusion coefficients of skin tissues, which serve as intermediaries that reveal underlying pathological changes in sub-surface layers
2Measurement precision
If traditional diagnostic tools such as biopsies, dermoscopy, MRI, and corneometry are used, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but the tools are expensive, not widely accessible, and typically uncomfortable for sensitive regions of the skin
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the measurement parameter from optical (visual, dermoscopy) or mechanical (biopsy, corneometry) to thermal properties (thermal conductivity, heat capacity, thermal diffusion). This parameter change enables non-invasive, comfortable, and accessible diagnosis while maintaining or improving accuracy through detection of functional changes in skin tissues
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal sensor system performs self-contained measurement and analysis without requiring complex external equipment or specialized operator intervention. The portable device can be used in various settings (clinics, homes, different environments) making diagnosis widely accessible and comfortable for patients
3Ease of operation
If existing thermal sensing technologies are used for skin monitoring, then non-invasive measurement is achieved, but the measurement depth is shallow and the technologies are high cost and lack clinical validation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the skin into multiple depth layers (epidermis, dermis, sub-surface layers) and uses thermal sensing to measure properties at each depth independently. By analyzing thermal diffusion at different depths, the system achieves both non-invasive measurement and deep tissue penetration capability simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes thermal parameters (thermal conductivity, heat capacity, thermal diffusion coefficients) that can penetrate deep into tissues. These thermal parameters provide a direct measure of tissue hydration and composition at any depth, overcoming the shallow measurement limitation of existing optical-based thermal sensing technologies
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sensor provides accurate, non-invasive, and cost-effective monitoring and diagnosis of skin diseases by measuring skin hydration and thermal properties, capable of use in various environments and on different body locations, improving diagnostic accuracy and accessibility.
Implementation Method 1
a heating circuit comprising a heating element for operably heating the target area of interest of the skin
Implementation Method 2
a sensing circuit comprising a temperature sensor for simultaneously recording a transient temperature change (ΔT) thereof
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to a soft, battery-free, flexible, non-invasive, reusable hydration sensor adherable to even small-areas and curvilinear surfaces of a body. The hydration sensor measures volumetric water content in skin as a function of depth, and wirelessly transmits data to a portable smart device. The hydration sensor includes a top layer for thermal, chemical and mechanical isolation of the hydration sensor from an environment; a bottom layer operably placed on a target area of interest on the skin; and a flexible printed circuit board (f-PCB) disposed between the top layer and the bottom layer. The f-PCB contains electronics for sensing and wireless communication. The bottom layer operably serves as a direct interface between the f-PCB and the skin and comprises a flexible adhesive for attaching the hydration sensor to the skin.