Washable wearable biosensor

• US 8,140,143 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2009
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Picard, Rosalind W., Williams, Clayton J., Fletcher, Richard Ribon, Eydgahi, Hoda, Poh, Ming-Zher, Wilder-Smith, Oliver Orion, Kim, Kyunghee, Dobson, Kelly, Lee, Jackie Chia-Hsun
• Primary Examiner(s): Dvorak, Linda
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANTISKAY, BRIAN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US12/386,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20100268056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: 600/372, 600/382, 600/386, 600388-390, 600/393
• 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 in multiple positions on the human body;

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

heart rate variability, motion, electrodermal activity, and temperature, wherein at least one of said sensors is an electrodermal activity sensor that includes an op-amp circuit with non-linear feedback that automatically scales gain to compensate for a range in skin conductance;

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 sock, shoe or ankle band worn on or near the foot.

4. 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 one 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.

5. 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.

6. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of sensors includes one or more skin electrodes for measuring electrodermal activity.

7. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 6 wherein at least one of said plurality of sensors includes an oscillator whose oscillation frequency is dependent on skin conductance manifested by said human body and wherein said sensor data is indicative of the magnitude of said oscillation frequency.

8. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 6 wherein said skin electrodes comprise an electrically conductive fabric forming part of said washable wearable breathable garment.

9. 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.

10. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 7 wherein said utilization system includes a personal computer and wherein said display is coupled to and displays information produced by said personal computer by processing said physiological data.

11. The system for monitoring physiological data set forth in claim 7 wherein said utilization system 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.

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

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