Wearable sweat-monitoring sensor could offer non-invasive alternative to blood tests

The system is built around an inexpensively-produced sensor capable of measuring pH levels which can stretch and flex to better fit the contours of users’ bodies.

Made from a graphite-polyurethane composite and measuring around a single square centimetre, it can stretch up to 53 per cent in length without compromising performance. The researchers claim that it will also continue to work after being subjected to flexes of 30 per cent up to 500 times, which will allow it to be used comfortably on human skin with minimal impact on the performance of the sensor.

Described in a paper published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics the sensor uses near-field communication to wirelessly transmit its data to an accompanying smartphone app called ‘SenseAble’ which allows users to track pH levels in real time. This was demonstrated in the lab using a chemical solution created by the researchers which mimics the composition of human sweat.