A wearable sensor that accurately monitors and detect changes in people’s breathing has been developed by a team of researchers in the UK. Set for clinical trials, it is hoped that the device – thought to be the first of its kind – can be used in healthcare settings and in the home to provide an early warning for declining health.
The Pneumorator contains a series of functional layers and works by measuring the frequency variation of the sensor caused by breathing, allowing for the accurate detection of subtle variations due to chest expansion or changes in lung composition. In use the Pneumorator would be wirelessly interfaced to display data onto a dedicated smartphone or tablet app for the healthcare team to use as an early warning system.
As part of the study the device was capable of continuously measuring the respiratory rate of volunteers within an accuracy of two breaths per minute. The device is low cost and mass manufacturable, will now be further validated through a clinical trial at University Hospital Southampton with the aim achieving regulatory approval within the NHS.
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