Engineers at Stanford developed a tiny new sensor that is capable of monitoring the pulse with impressive resolution. About the size of a postage stamp, the device can be worn under a bandage on one of the body spots where a pulse is easily felt.
The flexible pressure-sensitive organic thin film transistors inside the device feature “maximum sensitivity of 8.4 kPa−1, a fast response time of <10 ms, high stability over >15,000 cycles and a low power consumption of <1 mW.,” according to the study appearing in Nature Communications. These parameters allow the sensor to not only detect the main peak of the pulse, but also the recoil pressure, hence to analyze the elasticity of the arterial tree (a parameter that can change with age, with medical conditions like lupus, or in response to vasoactive medications).
Study in Nature Communications: Flexible polymer transistors with high pressure sensitivity for application in electronic skin and health monitoring…
Stanford press release: Stanford engineers monitor heart health using paper-thin flexible ‘skin’…