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Developing a Low-Cost Wearable Personal Exposure Monitor for Studying Respiratory Diseases Using Metal-Oxide Sensors
Kyle R Mallires1, Di Wang2, Vishal Varun Tipparaju3
1School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA, and also with The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA.
IEEE Sensors Journal
|July 30, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed low-cost, wearable devices to track air pollutants like ozone and volatile organic compounds, offering personalized exposure data for asthma management. These devices improve upon traditional monitoring stations for environmental health studies.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Wearable Technology
- Sensor Development
Background:
- Industrialization and urbanization increase air pollution, posing risks to individuals with respiratory diseases like asthma.
- Current air quality monitoring stations lack the spatial and temporal resolution to capture personal exposure, especially indoors.
- Understanding personal exposure to pollutants is crucial for managing asthma symptoms and improving quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design, build, and test low-cost, wrist-worn wearable devices for measuring key asthma triggers.
- To address the challenges of accurately calibrating sensors, particularly for ozone detection, under varying environmental conditions.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of using wearable devices in real-world environmental health studies.
Main Methods:
- Developed eight wrist-worn devices (64g, <$150 each) measuring ozone, total volatile organic compounds, temperature, humidity, and activity.
- Focused on calibrating a metal-oxide-semiconductor gas sensor for ozone detection, accounting for temperature and humidity fluctuations.
- Tested devices in diverse environments: laboratory, outdoors, indoor/outdoor transitions, and a full-day field test with scripted activities.
Main Results:
- Successfully designed and built functional wearable devices for environmental monitoring.
- Demonstrated effective calibration strategies for gas sensors in wearable applications.
- Validated device performance across various real-world environmental conditions and usage scenarios.
Conclusions:
- Wearable devices offer a viable solution for detailed personal exposure monitoring in environmental health research.
- The developed devices provide a cost-effective and practical tool for studying the impact of air pollutants on health.
- This technology addresses limitations of traditional monitoring, enabling better insights into asthma triggers and personal exposure.
