Smart Wristband Can Wirelessly Transmit Health Data

The engineers at Rutgers University-New Brunswick have developed a prototype device that can wirelessly connect to a smartphone as well as display an assortment of biomarkers, cell counts included.

The device can be wrapped around the user’s wrist and it has a circuit that processes electrical signals, a micro-controller that digitises and then transmits the gathered data wirelessly. The device obtains blood samples for blood cell counting via pinpricks. All that information is then sent wirelessly to an Android smartphone that displays all the data that has been gathered, most likely via an app that will be developed specifically for this purpose.

This way, health professionals could benefit from receiving fast information concerning blood test results that would normally require lab-based equipment. Patients could also monitor their health continuously and send their results to their doctors on the spot, which would prove to be very useful for people with serious conditions.

The wristband might also be a good accessory for those who work in environments filled with air pollutants or who want to measure the amount of tiny particles of dust they are exposed to every day. It doesn’t mean the device won’t make a difference for people who could just generally benefit from sampling the environment they are in, like miners.

The wristband can be easily modified to suit a variety of health biomarkers and the possibility it will be capable in the near future to sense airborne environmental hazards is also there. The potential the wristband has is growing exponentially with every piece of technology that becomes available and thanks to its versatility, it can be tailored in the future to fit very individual needs.