Washable wearable biosensor

• US 20100268056A1
• Filed: 04/16/2009
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Wilder-Smith, Oliver Orion, Picard, Rosalind W., Fletcher, Richard Ribon, Lee, Jackie Chia-Hsun, Kim, Kyunghee, Williams, Clayton J., Eydgahi, Hoda, Dobson, Kelly, Poh, Ming-Zher
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/388
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/015 By temperature mapping of body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6806 Gloves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A washable, wearable biosensor that can gather sensor data, communicate the sensed data by wireless protocols, and permits the analysis of sensed data in real-time as a person goes about their normal lifestyle activities. The biosensor can be worn in multiple positions, can be put on or removed quickly without having to apply or remove gels and adhesives, and provides a snug, comfortable fit to gather data with minimal motion artifacts. The textile, wearable device can support integrated photoplethysmography, skin conductance, motion, and temperature sensors in a small wearable package. The supported sensors may be coupled to utilization devices by channel-sharing wireless protocols to enable the transmission of data from multiple users and multiple sensors (e.g. both sides of body, wrists or hands and feet, or multiple people). An on-board processor, or the receiving utilization device, can map patterns of the physiological and motion data to signals or alerts such as a likely seizure, drug craving, or other states that the wearer may exhibit or experience. The sensor data may be sent by wireless transmission and received by a mobile phone or other personal digital device, a computer, a favorite toy, or another wearable device. The sensors may include multiple photoplethysmographs and/or one or more EDAs which perform a time-domain measurement of skin conductance

Claims

1. A system for monitoring physiological data comprising

a wearable washable breathable garment adapted to be worn on the human body;

one or more sensors attached to said garment for acquiring sensor data indicative of the one or more of following characteristics of said human body;

heart rate, heart rate variability, motion, electrodermal activity, and temperature;

a wireless communication unit attached to said garment for transmitting physiological data including or derived from said sensor data via a wireless communications link to a remotely located utilization system, and

a processor attached to said garment or included in said remotely located utilization system for analyzing said physiological data to identify patterns manifested by said physiological data indicative of the condition of said human body.

2. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 1 wherein said wearable washable breathable garment is a wrist band that may be positioned at different positions on the wrist or the palm of said human body.

3. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 1 wherein said wearable washable breathable garment is a band worn on the head to place said one or more sensors in contact with the forehead

4. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 1 wherein said wearable washable breathable garment is a sock, shoe or ankle band worn on or near the foot.

5. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 1 wherein said wearable washable breathable garment consists of an inner garment and an outer garment, wherein on or more of said sensors are attached to said inner garment in proximity to said human body and wherein all or part of said wireless communications unit is attached to said outer garment, and wherein said system further includes electrical connections coupling said sensors attached to said inner garment to said all or part of said wireless communications unit attached to said outer garment.

6. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 1 wherein said remotely located utilization system includes one or more radio receivers for receiving information from a plurality of remote sources including said wireless communications unit.

7. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 1 wherein said one or more sensors include one or more skin electrodes for measuring electrodermal activity.

8. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 7 wherein said one or more sensors include an oscillator whose oscillation frequency is dependent on the skin conductance manifested by said human body and wherein said sensor data is indicative of the magnitude of said oscillation frequency.

9. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 7 wherein said skin electrodes comprise an electrically conductive fabric forming part of said washable wearable breathable garment.

10. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 1 wherein said utilization system includes a display for displaying information indicative of or derived from said physiological data.

11. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 8 wherein utilization device includes a personal computer and wherein said display is coupled to and displays information produced by said personal computer by processing said physiological data.

12. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 8 wherein said utilization device includes a mobile telephone and wherein said display is coupled to and displays information received by said mobile telephone and relayed to said utilization device.

13. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 1 wherein utilization device receives data concurrently from multiple remote sources.

14. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 1 wherein said utilization device is housed in a toy and includes an visible display or a sound output or both indicative of one or more attributes of said physiological data.

15. A method for monitoring physiological data comprising, in combination, the steps of:

attaching one or more sensors and a wireless communications module to a wearable garment fabricated from a washable textile,

attaching said garment to the body of a human wearer,

employing said one or more sensors to produce sensor data indicative of one or more physiological attributes of said body of said human wearer, said attributes being selected from the group comprising heart rate, motion, electrodermal activity, and temperature;

employing said wireless communications module to transmit physiological data including or derived from said sensor data to a remote base station;

employing a processor at said base station for analyzing said physiological data derived from said sensor data to recognize and identify predetermined patterns manifested by said physiological data.

16. The method for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 15 wherein said step of employing said one or more sensors to produce sensor data indicative of one or more physiological attributes of said body of said human wearer is performed while said human wearer is sleeping and wherein said predetermined patterns manifested by said physiological data are indicative of sleep arousals prolonging sleep latency, sleep arousals, or sleep changes.

17. The method for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 15 wherein said human wearer is a child and wherein said predetermined patterns manifested by said physiological data are indicative of typical or atypical child development and autonomic regulation.

18. The method for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 15 wherein said predetermined patterns manifested by said physiological data are indicative of a state of fear or apprehension being experienced by said human wearer.

19. The method for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 15 wherein said predetermined patterns manifested by said physiological data are indicative of a drug craving experienced by said human wearer.

20. The method for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 15 wherein said predetermined patterns manifested by said physiological data are indicative of the onset of a seizure being experienced by said human wearer.

21. The method for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 15 wherein said predetermined patterns manifested by said physiological data are indicative of the level of interest or engagement of said human wearer during an activity being performed by said human wearer.

22. The method for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 15 wherein said predetermined patterns manifested by said physiological data are indicative of the activity of or perspiration produced by the human wearer.

23. The method for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 15 wherein said predetermined patterns manifested by said physiological data are indicative of autonomic nervous system patterns before, during and after drug trials.

24. The method for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 15 wherein said predetermined patterns manifested by said physiological data are indicative of physiological arousal in infants and wherein said predetermined patterns predict, characterize, or communicate infant crying behavior.