Flexible Bodily Fluid Indicator With Absorbent Scale
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bodily fluid indicator devices are cumbersome and time-consuming, often requiring several minutes to measure fluid amounts or compositions, which can be uncomfortable for subjects and inefficient for quick health assessments.
Innovation Solution
A bodily fluid indicator device featuring a flexible substrate with absorbent material and a graduated or reactive scale, allowing for rapid fluid migration and measurement within less than one minute, using FDA-approved inks and designed for various bodily fluids like saliva, sweat, and vaginal fluid, with bendable tabs for comfortable use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If conventional bodily fluid measurement methods are used, then measurement accuracy can be maintained, but the test duration becomes prolonged (several minutes or longer)
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the measurement function into distinct zones: an absorbent region for fluid collection and a graduated scale region for rapid visual reading. This segmentation allows the fluid to be captured and measured simultaneously in different areas, reducing overall test time while maintaining accuracy through the dedicated measurement scale.
Solution Approach 2:
The absorbent material acts as an intermediary between the bodily fluid source and the graduated scale. It rapidly wicks the fluid along a controlled path, enabling quick transport of the fluid to the measurement zone within less than one minute, thus reducing test duration without compromising measurement reliability.
2Ease of operation
If rapid fluid measurement is implemented (less than one minute), then test comfort is improved, but measurement precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The graduated scale is pre-positioned and pre-calibrated on the device before use. The absorbent material is pre-configured with optimal wicking properties to ensure rapid yet controlled fluid transport. This preliminary preparation enables immediate accurate measurement upon fluid contact, achieving both speed and precision while improving subject comfort through reduced test time.
Solution Approach 2:
The device replaces complex mechanical measurement systems with a simple capillary action-based absorbent material combined with a visual graduated scale. This substitution eliminates the need for prolonged waiting periods associated with traditional mechanical or chemical reaction-based methods, achieving rapid measurement (less than one minute) with sufficient precision for clinical and home use.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible substrate with absorbent material is used, then device adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs a flexible substrate with thin film absorbent material and printed graduated scale, allowing the device to conform to various body contours and fluid collection sites. This flexible thin-film construction provides adaptability for different anatomical locations while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing through printing and lamination processes, balancing versatility with manageable complexity.
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
Enables quicker and more readable results for fluid amount and composition analysis, suitable for both clinical and home-use settings, providing rapid indication of fluid production levels and chemical attributes, reducing discomfort and improving diagnostic efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
contacting a bodily fluid with the indicator device for a period of time sufficient to cause the bodily fluid to migrate over a portion of the graduated scale
Data Source
AI summary
Bodily fluid indicator devices and methods are provided. Such devices and methods can effectively indicate whether the amount of bodily fluid being produced is within a measurable range. In an exemplary embodiment, a bodily fluid indicator device includes a substrate having a surface. Some portions of the surface are covered with a region of absorbent material and other portions of the surface are devoid of the absorbent material. A graduated scale or a reactive feature is printed on the absorbent material. The device is configured to indicate an amount and/or a composition a bodily fluid present on an area of a patient or subject.