Wearable Sweat Sensor with Integrated Calibration Medium
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sweat sensing technologies are labor-intensive, costly, and inefficient, limiting their application beyond crude and slow processes, and have struggled to develop viable commercial products for continuous or repeated biosensing, especially for 'holy grails' like glucose monitoring.
Innovation Solution
A wearable sweat sensor device with integrated calibration mechanisms, using a calibration medium to calibrate sensors before use, ensuring analytical assurance by providing precise and accurate measurements of solutes in sweat, overcoming the challenges of miniaturization and environmental limitations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sweat sensing is performed using traditional laboratory methods, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to labor-intensive sample collection, transport, and analysis procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the calibration function from complex laboratory procedures and embeds it directly into the wearable sensor device through integrated calibration media and algorithms, separating the analytical assurance capability from the cumbersome lab-based workflow while maintaining measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor device performs self-calibration using integrated calibration media and algorithms, eliminating the need for external laboratory equipment and expert operation. The device automatically ensures analytical quality through built-in reference materials and processing algorithms
2Measurement precision
If sweat sensing is performed using traditional laboratory methods, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to the multi-step process of sweat stimulation, collection, transport, and analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges sweat collection, calibration, and analysis functions into a single integrated wearable device that operates at the skin surface. This eliminates the sequential time-consuming steps of separate sample collection, transport to laboratory, and bench-top analysis by performing all operations simultaneously in one location
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces calibration media and algorithms as intermediaries that enable direct on-skin analytical measurements. These intermediaries bridge the gap between simple wearable sensing and complex laboratory analysis, allowing precise measurements to be performed directly at the sweat source without time-consuming transport and processing steps
3Measurement precision
If sweat sensing is performed using traditional laboratory methods, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to the need for trained experts and complex procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor device performs self-calibration using integrated calibration media and algorithms, eliminating the need for external laboratory equipment and expert operation. The device automatically ensures analytical quality through built-in reference materials and processing algorithms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent integrates multiple functions (sweat collection, calibration, analysis, and quality assurance) into a single universal wearable device that can be operated by anyone without specialized training. The device handles all complex analytical tasks internally while providing simple user interaction
4Ease of operation
If sensors are miniaturized for wearable applications, then ease of operation and adaptability are improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to environmental limitations and lack of controlled conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a locally controlled microenvironment at the sensor-skin interface through integrated calibration media and algorithms. This local quality control compensates for the lack of overall environmental control in wearable applications, ensuring precise measurements despite the uncontrolled external environment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms through calibration algorithms that continuously monitor and adjust sensor readings based on reference measurements from integrated calibration media. This feedback loop maintains measurement precision by compensating for environmental variations and sensor drift in real-time
Data Source
AI summary
A sweat sensor device (200) with analytical assurance includes at least one sensor (220) for detecting a first analyte, and at least one calibration medium (270) containing at least the first analyte. When the first analyte in the at least one calibration medium (270) comes into contact with the at least one sensor (220), the calibration medium (270) provides a calibration of the at least one sensor (220). A sweat sensor device (200) may further include a carrier (240) having at least one aperture (220a) and a reservoir (254) for storing the at least one calibration medium (270). The at least one aperture (220a) provides fluidic access to the at least one sensor (220) from the reservoir (254).