A Planar, Multisensing Wearable Health Monitoring Device Integrated with Acceleration, Temperature, and Electrocardiogram Sensors

Flexible healthcare devices attract much research attention due to their potential application in everyday health monitoring and data acquisition. In order to precisely monitor changes in health data, simultaneous recording of motion data is of vital importance, as different modes of human activity have a strong influence on a person's vital signs. However, human motion detection has received comparatively little attention in flexible electronics, even though flexible health monitoring sensors are well-studied and researched by many groups. In this study, a planar-type, multifunctional health sensor sheet integrated with acceleration, temperature, and electrocardiogram sensors, fabricated completely by printing methods is proposed and demonstrated. A vibrational space for the acceleration sensor is created by using a kirigami structure for the electrodes, allowing it to be pushed out of plane without affecting the resistance. The acceleration sensor's sensitivity is investigated experimentally by changing the dimensions of its beam structure, after which we are able to optimize the sensor such that it would be able to detect light human activity. Finally, as a proof of concept, the device is successfully demonstrated to be able to detect human motion, skin temperature, and electrocardiogram signals simultaneously when attached to the chest of a test subject.