Handheld Saliva Testing With Microfluidic Sensor Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a lack of practical, affordable, non-invasive devices for measuring hydration levels and other physiological parameters in the human body, as existing methods relying on blood or urine are impractical, invasive, or expensive.
Innovation Solution
A saliva-based testing system comprising a handheld device, sensor, and computer processor that processes saliva to measure hydration and other parameters, using microfluidic channels and chemically functionalized meshes to analyze saliva for substances and physiological parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If blood or urine sampling methods are used to measure hydration levels, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to invasiveness and practicality issues
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the measurement function from invasive blood/urine sampling and relocates it to saliva-based testing. The sensor strip is designed to interact with saliva specifically, extracting only the necessary physiological information (hydration levels, electrolytes) from this non-invasive fluid source, thereby eliminating the invasiveness while maintaining measurement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor strip acts as an intermediary between the biological sample and the measurement system. It mediates the interaction by capturing saliva samples and translating their chemical composition into measurable electrical signals, enabling non-invasive measurement while preserving accuracy through the intermediary's specialized design
2Ease of operation
If saliva is used as the testing medium, then ease of operation is improved due to non-invasiveness, but device complexity increases due to the complex composition of saliva requiring sophisticated processing
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into distinct functional modules: the sensor strip handles sample interaction and initial processing, the handheld device performs signal processing and analysis, and the system separates different measurement functions into discrete components. This segmentation distributes the processing complexity across multiple specialized elements rather than concentrating it in one complex unit
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces complex mechanical processing of saliva with electrochemical sensing. Instead of physically separating or mechanically processing saliva components, the sensor uses electrochemical reactions to directly detect and differentiate between various substances (electrolytes, hydration markers) in the saliva, substituting mechanical complexity with chemical specificity
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
Provides a practical, affordable, and non-invasive method for measuring hydration and other parameters, offering convenience and accuracy through saliva analysis.
Implementation Method 1
moving the saliva from the second end of the sensor to the first end
Implementation Method 2
processing the saliva with the handheld saliva testing device to provide initial saliva data related to the at least one substance or physiological parameter
Data Source
AI summary
A method for using saliva to measure at least one substance or physiological parameter of a human or animal subject may involve inserting a first end of a sensor into a handheld saliva testing device. The method may also involve receiving saliva from the subject on a second end of the sensor, moving the saliva from the second end of the sensor to the first end, and processing the saliva with the handheld saliva testing device to provide initial saliva data related to the at least one substance or physiological parameter of the subject. In some embodiments, the sensor remains inserted in the handheld device while the subject deposits saliva on the opposite, free end of the sensor.