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The devices provide valuable information enabling providers to predict, diagnose and treat conditions, while improving access and cutting costs.
The problem is that wearables need signals, either from satellites or antennas, to transmit data, which means they generally don't work in remote areas with no mobile phone signal.
Now researchers at the University of Arizona have created a wearable monitoring system that can send health data up to 15 miles – much further than Wi-Fi or Bluetooth – without any significant infrastructure.
"These Internet-based communication protocols are effective and well-developed, but they require cell coverage or Internet connectivity and main-line power sources," said Philipp Gutruf, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the university. "These requirements often leave individuals in remote or resource-constrained environments underserved."
The system his team developed uses a low power wide area network (LPWAN), which offers 2,400-times the distance of Wi-Fi and 533-times that of Bluetooth. Specifically, it uses LoRa – a new type of LPWAN technology. "The choice of LoRa helped address previous limitations associated with power and electromagnetic constraints," Gutruf said.
Normally, the circuitry and antenna in LoRA-enabled devices sits in a large box, but the team integrated it into a soft wearable that can be wirelessly recharged from 2m away. It is, according to Gutruf, 'biosymbiotic' – custom 3D-printed so that it feels like part of the body. It's worn on the forearm and stays in place even during exercise, without ever needing to be removed. "Our device allows for continuous operation over weeks due to its wireless power transfer feature for interaction-free recharging – all realised within a small package that even includes onboard computation of health metrics," said Max Farley, an undergraduate student in biomedical engineering who worked on the project.
The team plan to extend communication distances and eventually serve hundreds of square miles and hundreds of users with only a small number of connection points. "This effort is not just a scientific endeavour," he said. "It's a step toward making digital medicine more accessible, irrespective of geographical and resource constraints."
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