FerroSheet_Healthcare

As the Internet of Things (IoT) is taking shape, the number of connected objects will grow at explosive rates, enabled by efficient networks, deep learning software and embedded technology. For this to be possible, a paradigm shift for the embedded technology from current approaches based on rigid sensors and silicon-based electronics with batteries as power sources is urgently required. In the future, IoT objects will have to be extremely low cost, low-power and even self-sustaining, flexible and thin in order to be unobtrusive. One of the key elements of the embedded technology are sensors, they are requested to precisely register multiple parameters for continuous monitoring of the objects inner state and the environmental conditions. A very promising group of materials which have already shown their great potential to support the way towards IoT are ferroelectric polymers. Their intrinsic piezoelectric properties enable multimodal dynamic sensing of mechanical parameters like strain, force, touch, pressure, vibrations and motion. Another big advantage is that they can be fabricated on flexible, even stretchable substrates by low- cost and scalable printing techniques, thus they have attracted considerable attention due to their potential applications in healthcare. When it comes to use these ferroelectric materials in biomedical sensor applications, high conformity to the body surface and ultra-sensitive response to pressure and strain levels with large signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are essential to monitor vital parameters during various physical activities without obstructing the user. Here, flexible organic amplifiers are an appropriate candidate for improving the SNR and can be easily combined with the sensors to be conformably attached to the humans body, enabling a direct amplification near the signal edge. The aim of this project is the fabrication of innovative ferroelectric polymer based transducer devices and organic amplifiers, both with high resolution solution-based processes scalable to large areas. The transducers should be fully transparent with multimodal sensing capabilities, realized by a smart arrangement of the electrodes. Finally, to test the potential of the transducers and amplifiers, a wireless medical sensor patch should be fabricated. For this purpose, the flexible multimodal transducers and the ultra-flexible organic amplifiers will be assembled with a compact, lightweight (5,5 g), wireless data processing unit on a biocompatible substrate. This conformable wireless medical diagnostic sensor patch with high wearing comfort will be tested to monitor vital parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure and respiration rate. This developed sensor technology should pave the way towards a new home medical diagnosis capable of early detection of lifestyle-related diseases such as heart disease, signs of stress state, sleep apnea syndrome and many others.

Multimodal sensors as smart diagnostic patch for IoT applications in healthcare With the Internet of Things (IoT), the number of connected objects seems to be growing at explosive rates. In addition to smart homes and Industry 4.0, medical applications are becoming increasingly important, with a trend toward flexible, thin, energy-efficient, and ideally self-sufficient systems. In medical applications, there is a particular focus on sensors that must precisely measure various physiological parameters such as vital signs, as well as on the electronics used, where adaptability, compactness, and low weight are of great importance in addition to performance. The aim of this project was to develop a flexible "smart" medical diagnostic patch with innovative sensors, consisting of transducers and amplifier circuits, as well as a wireless data processing unit. These novel transducers, based on the ferroelectric copolymer P(VDF-TrFE) (poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene)), were designed to exhibit multimodal sensitivity, which was achieved through an intelligent arrangement of the electrodes. Due to the small size of physiological signals, a special organic amplifier circuits have been developed which are to be combined directly on a biocompatible substrate with the transducers to form a sensor. This innovative flexible sensor can better suppress noise artifacts and thus detect physiological parameters with a good signal-to-noise ratio. Together with an ultra-light, compact, wireless data processing unit that only weighs a few grams, it can be attached conformably to the human body as a medical diagnostic system and used to monitor vital parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure. This developed sensor technology should pave the way towards a new home medical diagnosis capable of early detection of lifestyle-related diseases such as heart disease, signs of stress state, sleep apnoea syndrome and many others.