Researchers have come up with a first-of-its-kind "lab on the skin," a low-cost, soft wearable device that adheres to the skin easily and measures sweat to determine how an individual is responding to physical activity.
In a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, John Rogers and colleagues were able to show how a device no bigger than a quarter can analyze sweat to assess key biomarkers and help people decide if they need to make any adjustments while engaged in physical activity, like drinking more water, or tell if something is medically wrong.
"The intimate skin interface created by this wearable, skin-like microfluidic system enables new measurement capabilities not possible with the kinds of absorbent pads and sponges currently used in sweat collection," said Rogers, who led the research team.
How ‘Lab On The Skin' Works
Designed to be used one time for a few hours, "lab on the skin" is to be directly placed on the skin on the back or forearm. During physical activity, sweat is directed to the device, where it will wind through microscopic channels and into four compartments.
These compartments are filled with chemical reagents and the resulting reaction will produce a color change that corresponds to levels of pH, lactate, chloride and glucose. To analyze the reactions, a smartphone app takes a photo of the device, analyzing the image.
The device can even detect a biomarker for cystic fibrosis so the researchers are looking at broader applications for "lab on the skin" when it came to disease diagnosis. It can also store samples so it's possible to carry out subsequent analysis in the laboratory.
Watch "lab on the skin" at work below!
Sweat Analysis And Health Monitoring
Rogers explained that sweat is a "rich, chemical broth" made up of numerous important chemical compounds that contain information on physiological health. With the researchers building upon Rogers and Yonggang Huang's work on skin-like stretchable electronics, they were able to come up with a way to carry out biochemical analysis in a simpler, more efficient manner.
However, "lab on the skin" was not without its challenges. According to Huang, the research team had to develop a means of addressing sweat collection, flow, storage and analysis for a device that is thin, soft and flexible.
But with the sweat analysis platform the researchers made, it is now possible for people to do on-the-spot checks on their health without requiring blood samples or bulky electronics.
The development of "lab on the skin" was made possible by funding support from the National Institutes of Health, the National Research Foundation of Korea, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory and L'Oréal.
