Flexible Sensor Monitors Blood Flow

Oct-31-15 A new epidermal electronic sensor able to measure blood flow could make it easier to monitor skin tissue health for early symptoms of disease.

While devices for measuring blow flow are already in use, they tend to be complex and expensive, relying on ultrasound or optics. In contrast, the small sensor developed by the team at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign works by heating the skin an imperceptible amount and then monitoring how the flow of blood moves the heat away. The device’s heating element is surrounded by a ring of temperature sensors that monitor the direction and amount of heat as it carried away by the blood. By comparing that data to established models, the flow rate of the blood can be determined.

The first application of the technology will be to monitor the tissue health of patients who have received skin grafts.

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