WearLight: Toward a Wearable, Configurable Functional NIR Spectroscopy System for Noninvasive Neuroimaging.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Wearable Technology

Background:

• Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a portable brain monitoring tool, popular for multimodal studies.
• Challenges remain in fNIRS for naturalistic environments with participant movement and task performance.
• Existing fNIRS systems require advancements in hardware, software, and algorithms for real-world applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate WearLight, a wearable fNIRS system for brain monitoring in naturalistic environments.
• To address the limitations of current fNIRS technology in mobile and task-based scenarios.
• To investigate the design and performance of 3-D printed optodes for enhanced fNIRS data acquisition.

Main Methods:

• Developed WearLight, an Internet-of-Things embedded wearable fNIRS system.
• Designed and analyzed 3-D printed optodes integrating near-infrared light sources and detectors.
• Conducted experimental studies with human participants to assess reliability, signal-to-noise ratio, and configurability.

Main Results:

• WearLight demonstrated reliable measurement of hemodynamic responses in naturalistic settings.
• The system successfully captured brain activity during forearm arterial occlusion and breathing exercises.
• Experimental results indicate good signal-to-noise ratio and system configurability.

Conclusions:

• WearLight offers a promising solution for wearable brain monitoring in naturalistic environments.
• Preliminary clinical validation suggests potential for WearLight in diverse research and clinical settings.
• The developed wearable fNIRS system facilitates advanced studies in brain monitoring.