Biosensors, Future Trends

Biosensors, future trends

Affected by this new crown pneumonia, personal health has become everyone's concern. Many people care about disease prevention, while others seek ways to maintain their health. Regardless of intent, each of us has a healthy lifestyle. Fortunately, the rise of wearables has allowed us to monitor our health like never before.

Through the use of precise wearable biometric sensor systems, today's wearables can collect and analyze personal data, such as heart rate and sleep patterns, in real time. Wearables are growing in popularity among tech and sports enthusiasts, with one in three people in the U.S. using a wearable device.

Many biometric sensors currently on the market have proven to be accurate, flexible, and scalable to a variety of products, such as smartwatches, earbuds, and armbands. Thanks to technological innovations in microcontrollers (MCUs) and system-on-a-chip (SoCs), new wearable devices can now measure not just basic biometric data, but also continuous glucose monitoring, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) Features such as monitoring and mood and stress monitoring are becoming more popular and will be widely adopted by the general public.

Overall, biometric solutions are rapidly gaining popularity as they are ideal for a wide variety of IoT products and applications. With the advancement of biosensor technology, we can benefit from the following aspects.

Continuous blood oxygen saturation monitoring

Many wearables, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, are already measuring basic health information, such as heart rate and steps taken. However, advances in blood oxygen probe technology have enabled wearables to provide more continuous and comprehensive monitoring. American circuit designer and manufacturer Maxim recently released a new wrist-based system designed to continuously monitor blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels and heart rate variability. Oxygen saturation measures the amount of oxygen in the blood, providing insights into sleep patterns, heart health and breathing function. As biometric measurements become an integral part of our lives, how these measurements are performed is evolving rapidly. Apple's AirPods, for example, are expected to integrate ambient light sensors (ALS) into their next-generation devices, which would provide a less intrusive way to monitor user health.

Improve mental health monitoring

In addition to basic biometric data, wearables are also beginning to collect more complex information, such as anxiety and stress, to improve our mental health. Some next-generation products even promise to measure the emotional state and stress levels of their users. Spire is one such wearable device. He tracks breathing patterns and physical activity to reduce stress and increase productivity. The device can be clipped to a piece of clothing (a shirt or belt) and sense changes in breathing patterns and the user's mental state. Wearables of the future will be able to provide more insights into our physical and mental health. These wearable devices are becoming more commonplace, and even doctors and mental health professionals around the world are using these technologies.

Real-time blood pressure monitoring

It is well known that high blood pressure is harmful to health. However, monitoring blood pressure is not an easy task. Because it is difficult for an individual to properly wear a blood pressure cuff for measurement and the blood pressure cuff needs to be calibrated regularly. Blood pressure technology has taken a huge leap forward thanks to advances in biometric sensors. This year, biometrics company Valencell introduced the world's first calibration-free and cuffless blood pressure technology. By integrating this technology into consumer wearables and hearables, we can take real-time blood pressure measurements every day. We can measure our blood pressure while listening to music or watching a performance without the people around us knowing.