Wireless Fabric Patch Sensors for Wearable Healthcare

Abstract

Two novel wireless fabric patch sensor are introduced for low energy wearable healthcare. The first is a wirelessly powered patch sensor that can be attached to a patient to capture electrocardiogram (ECG) while consuming only 12 mu W. By using fabric circuit board technology, the band-aid like sensor is implemented. The second wearable cardiac healthcare sensor, fabricated in the form of 4-layer compact smart poultice type including flexible battery, can extend to monitor bio-impendance together with ECG signals at 16 different sites of the heart with 25 reconfigurable electrodes. It also provides cm-range inductive coupled remote system start-up and duty-cycled data transmission using body as communication channel for a low energy wireless interconnectivity. Both sensors exploit dry fabric electrodes to minimize skin irritation during clinical long term operation.