MIT engineers have developed a unique wearable sensor to determine the concentration of biological marker substances in saliva. The device is designed to replace the traditional blood test.
It should be noted that the blood test is a fairly reliable marker that allows you to determine the state of the whole organism and its individual organs. However, it is not always convenient to donate it, especially if you want to monitor the chemical composition of blood during the day.
The new sensor is compact and consists of a roll of indicator paper, an electric motor, a wireless communication module, a camera and a tube adjacent to the lip.
A special tube takes saliva from the mouth at certain intervals. When a biological fluid comes in contact with the paper, the latter changes color depending on the presence and concentration of certain important medical markers. The camera installed in the gadget photographs the result of the analysis displayed on the paper and sends the image to the user’s smartphone, as well as to the physician.
Next, another piece of paper is unwound from the replaceable roll by an electric motor, and the procedure is repeated. As the engineers believe, the device will allow monitoring the concentration of chemicals in the blood without passing traditional tests. The developers will provide more information about the invention at the EMBC 2019 conference which will take place in July. Perhaps they will also announce the accuracy of the sensor worn on the cheek in relation to the traditional blood test, its estimated cost, and the release date.
