Paper‐Based Electrical Respiration Sensor

Abstract

Current methods of monitoring breathing require cumbersome, inconvenient, and often expensive devices; this requirement sets practical limitations on the frequency and duration of measurements. This article describes a paper‐based moisture sensor that uses the hygroscopic character of paper (i.e. the ability of paper to adsorb water reversibly from the surrounding environment) to measure patterns and rate of respiration by converting the changes in humidity caused by cycles of inhalation and exhalation to electrical signals. The changing level of humidity that occurs in a cycle causes a corresponding change in the ionic conductivity of the sensor, which can be measured electrically. By combining the paper sensor with conventional electronics, data concerning respiration can be transmitted to a nearby smartphone or tablet computer for post‐processing, and subsequently to a cloud server. This means of sensing provides a new, practical method of recording and analyzing patterns of breathing.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Apr 05, 2016
Source ID
10.1002/anie.201511805

Entities

People

  • Alar Ainla
  • Ana Glavan
  • Bobak Mosadegh
  • Firat Güder
  • George M. Whitesides
  • Julia Redston
  • T. J. Martin

Organizations

  • Defense Threat Reduction Agency
  • German Research Foundation
  • Harvard University
  • Swedish Research Council

Tags

Readers

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Data Science/Digital Signal Processing.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Microelectromechanical Systems