Engineers develop a device to identify potential health problems and improve athletic performance

A wrist-watch sized device has been developed by engineers to help identify potential health problems and improve athletic performance, through monitoring the user’s body chemistry. The device, which uses metabolites to inform health professionals on a user’s metabolism, has multiple functionalities from tracking athletic recovery to noticing dehydration, with applications ranging from competitive sports to army training.

Furthermore, the device has chemical sensors installed into its replaceable strip, which sits on the user’s skin, to come into contact with their sweat. From here, the device’s hardware monitors the data, records the results and sends the information to the user’s smart device.

Currently, the engineers are carrying out a new study to further test the tool for when it’s used in a variety of conditions.

Co-corresponding author of a paper regarding the study and assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at North Carolina State University, Michael Daniele, stated: “This technology allows us to test for a wide range of metabolites in almost real-time. For this proof of concept study, we tested sweat from human participants and monitored for glucose, lactate, pH and temperature. The device is the size of an average watch but contains analytical equipment equivalent to 4 of the bulky electrochemistry devices currently used to measure metabolite levels in the lab. We’ve made something that is truly portable so that it can be used in the field. We’re optimistic that this hardware could enable new technologies to reduce casualties during military or athletic training, by spotting health problems before they become critical. It could also improve training by allowing users to track their performance over time. For example, what combination of diet and other variables improves a user’s ability to perform? We want to confirm that it can provide continuous monitoring when in use for an extended period of time. While it’s difficult to estimate what the device might cost consumers, it only costs 10s of dollars to make. And the cost of the strips, which can last for at least a day, should be comparable to the glucose strips used by people with diabetes. We’re currently looking for industry partners to help us explore commercialization options for this technology.”