By submitting this form, you are agreeing to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Blood Flow Under the Skin is Measured by Flexible Sensors. A flexible skin gadget that can track blood flow could continuously check on patients’ well-being. The gadgets track blood flow and detect the modest temperature increase that each pulse of blood delivers.
They are made of a thin array of metallic wires that are positioned around a central sensor. They have a tiny layer of silicone coating on them, making them flexible and able to adhere to the skin like temporary tattoos.
The Global Flexible Blood flow sensor market accounted for $XX Billion in 2022 and is anticipated to reach $XX Billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of XX% from 2023 to 2030.
The flexible skin sensor technology developed by the Rogers Research Group at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been improved to measure blood flow in capillaries that are 1 to 2 millimetres under the skin.
Optical imaging techniques are currently used to monitor blood flow in clinical settings, however they need patients to remain still throughout the assessment. The skin sensor would allow for 24-hour blood flow monitoring as the patient went about their regular lives. It adheres to the skin like a temporary tattoo.
The sensor’s heating and sensing components are borne on a silicone substrate (Ecoflex) that is around 40 micrometres thick. Van der Waals forces between the skin and the sensor’s surface keep the sensor in place once it is fastened to the skin.
The sensor is a thermal transducer made up of two concentric rings of sensors and a circular thermal actuator. By heating the surrounding skin (3.5 mW mm-2), the central actuator creates a constant background temperature.
A map of the temperature distribution is produced using the temperature data gathered by the concentric rings of sensors.
Computer algorithms convert temperature distribution and thermal flow data to blood flow rate. On human wrist veins during both stationary and motion duties, the device was put to the test.
Researchers still need to come up with a way to wirelessly transfer the thermal data as well as an independent power supply before the gadget can be used in clinical settings. The device’s clinical uses include observing blood arteries close to the surface.
