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Low-cost 'smart mask' can detect illnesses from breathing, researchers say | Medical research

Low-cost 'smart mask' can detect illnesses from breathing, researchers say | Medical research

 


Scientists say they have developed a “smart mask” that can analyse the wearer's breath to detect signs of illness.

The researchers hope that the device, which can transmit data to an app via Bluetooth, will provide an affordable and convenient way to capture and instantly analyze respiratory biomarkers related to respiratory and metabolic processes.

This could improve efforts to diagnose conditions such as lung disease early, monitor disease progression and support individualized treatment plans, the researchers say.

“Our technology can serve as a general breath analysis platform. You can select different sensors for specific symptoms or fuse sensors for different symptoms,” said Wei Gao, a professor at the California Institute of Technology and lead author of the study.

Cross-sectional view showing the structure of an EBCare device. Photo: California Institute of Technology

“For example, the mask evaluated in this study can simultaneously monitor kidney status and airway inflammation in COPD. [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] And asthma.”

Science MagazineThe research team reports that current methods for analysing patients' breath have challenges, such as needing buckets of ice or refrigeration to condense the vapour, and analysis of such samples is typically carried out in a laboratory.

In contrast, their masks are fitted with a device called EBCare that can monitor biomarkers in the patient's breath.

The researchers said they took a dual approach to condensing the breath: Not only is the EBCare device made from a material that easily loses heat, it also contains a hydrogel that cools through the natural evaporation of water.

The condensed breath is sent to an on-board sensor that can detect the presence and levels of various components in the breath, including alcohol content, pH, ammonium and nitrite levels, etc. The condensed breath is then sent to a hydrogel, which provides a continuous source of water for the evaporation process.

EBCare mask design. Photo: California Institute of Technology

The researchers reported that they tested the device several times on healthy volunteers, as well as people with conditions such as asthma and COPD.

According to the research, the mask can track changes in alcohol concentration in the breath – thus tracking the dynamics of alcohol metabolism – and can also monitor changes in ammonium concentration that accompany protein intake.

The latter provides a non-invasive alternative to blood tests for managing kidney disease and monitoring individual protein metabolism, according to the researchers. They also found that groups with airway inflammation, such as asthma patients, had higher exhaled breath nitrite concentrations.

“this [mask] “The device can be worn during daily activities, day or night, providing continuous, real-time, personalized health monitoring at home without the need to visit a medical institution,” Gao said.

The device is also low-cost: “While reusable electronic components can cost tens of dollars, waste components cost about a dollar per device,” he said.

Prof Ian Hall, from the University of Nottingham, who was not involved in the research, said the device was a fascinating feat of engineering but more research was needed to show it could be used to diagnose or monitor medical conditions.

Hall added that the device could be useful in research: “When evaluating new drugs, often you want to get an early indication of whether the drug is working, but many of the endpoints we use take a long time to develop,” he said.

Sources

1/ https://Google.com/

2/ https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/aug/29/smart-mask-detect-disease-breath

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