Wireless Nanowire Electrodes for Sleep Disorder Diagnosis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sleep monitoring systems are cumbersome, expensive, and often ineffective due to the need for direct electrical connections and conductive gels, limiting their ability to monitor sleep patterns accurately outside of a clinical setting and failing to provide continuous, non-intrusive home-based monitoring for sleep disorders like sleep apnea.
Innovation Solution
A wireless patient monitoring system featuring a headcap with biopotential sensors, a respiration sensor belt, and a base receiver-server unit that allows for remote data transmission via cellular or internet networks, using dry nanowire or carbon nanotube electrodes for comfortable, continuous monitoring of EEG, ECG, and other physiological parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional biopotential electrodes with conductive gel are used, then reliable electrical contact is achieved, but patient comfort and ease of operation deteriorate due to discomfort and complexity of setup
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the conductive gel component from the electrode system, using dry nanowire electrodes that make direct contact with skin. This extraction eliminates the messy gel application process while maintaining reliable electrical contact through the high surface area and conductivity of the nanowire structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the electrode by using nanoscale wire structures with diameters in the range of 1-100 nanometers. This parameter change at the nanoscale provides both sufficient electrical conductivity and mechanical flexibility for comfortable wear, resolving the contradiction between reliable contact and patient comfort.
2Measurement precision
If wired sensors and conductive gel are used, then accurate biopotential measurement is achieved, but device complexity and setup labor increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical wired connection system with a wireless communication system. The dry nanowire electrodes transmit biopotential signals wirelessly to external receivers, eliminating the need for physical wire connections and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional integrated system where the headcap combines EEG electrodes, ECG electrodes, and other sensors into a single wireless monitoring unit. This universal device performs multiple monitoring functions simultaneously, reducing the number of separate devices and setup procedures needed.
3Measurement precision
If clinical sleep lab monitoring is used, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but cost and accessibility worsen due to expensive equipment and facility requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable or reusable dry nanowire electrode patches that can be easily applied and removed without requiring expensive permanent laboratory equipment. These low-cost electrodes maintain clinical-grade measurement accuracy while dramatically reducing system cost and facilitating home-based monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The wireless monitoring system enables patients to perform self-monitoring at home without requiring specialized clinical facilities or technician assistance. The system automatically collects, transmits, and processes biopotential data, making diagnostic-grade monitoring accessible and affordable for routine use.
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 comfortable, continuous, and cost-effective monitoring of sleep patterns and physiological parameters at home, providing real-time data analysis for diagnosing and treating sleep disorders without the need for clinical settings, thus improving diagnostic accuracy and reducing healthcare costs.
Implementation Method 1
development of a vertically aligned carbon nanotube/nanowire and gold nanowire array for neurological and physiological monitoring
Implementation Method 2
remote cyber access capabilities... wireless nanosensor network system
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless system for neurological and physiological monitoring of a patient. The system includes a patient monitoring unit having a headcap and a belt. The headcap includes a wireless communication module, an antenna, and an amplifier. The headcap further includes at least one of a biopotential electrode, a temperature sensor, a rotation sensor, an accelerometer, and an airflow sensor. The belt includes a respiration sensor comprising a carbon nanotube-based strain sensor. The system also includes a base receiver-server unit including a wireless receiving unit, a data storage unit, and a network communications unit. The system also includes a client monitoring unit which includes a processor, a network communications unit operably coupled to the processor, and a storage medium operably coupled to the processor, wherein the storage medium includes program instructions executable by the processor for receiving and processing data from the patient monitoring unit.