Engineers have developed a technology that's showing promise as an early warning system for asthma attacks.
Referred to as a disposable respiration monitor, patients place one sensor on their skin between the ninth and 10th rib and another on the abdomen.
The sensors track the rate and volume of a person's respiration and can send signals via Bluetooth to a smartphone app.
The monitors are made by affixing a thin layer of metal to the plastic sheet and then heat-shrinking it — no drawing necessary — before the shrunken item is transferred to material akin to a bandage that can be adhered to patients.
Researchers are hopeful that the sensors can be used to warn of pending asthma attacks as well as help children with cystic fibrosis and those with chronic pulmonary conditions.
The devices were developed in the lab of Michelle Khine, a University of California, Irvine professor of biomedical engineering, and are expected to undergo pilot tests shortly.
