Human Activity Recording Based on Skin-Strain-Actuated Microfluidic Pumping in Asymmetrically Designed Micro-Channels

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 24; no. 13; p. 4207
• Main Authors: Askar, Caroline Barbar, Cmager, Nick, Altay, Rana, Araci, I. Emre
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28.06.2024
• Subjects: Biomechanics; Dimethylpolysiloxanes - chemistry; Efficiency; Equipment Design; human movement continuous monitoring; Humans; Hydraulics; image-based sensor; Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; microfluidics; Microfluidics - instrumentation; Microfluidics - methods; Monitoring, Physiologic - instrumentation; Monitoring, Physiologic - methods; Physiology; pump; Sensors; Skin; Wearable Electronic Devices; wearables; human movement continuous monitoring; wearables; image-based sensor; pump; microfluidics
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s24134207

The capability to record data in passive, image-based wearable sensors can simplify data readouts and eliminate the requirement for the integration of electronic components on the skin. Here, we developed a skin-strain-actuated microfluidic pump (SAMP) that utilizes asymmetric aspect ratio channels for the recording of human activity in the fluidic domain. An analytical model describing the SAMP’s operation mechanism as a wearable microfluidic device was established. Fabrication of the SAMP was achieved using soft lithography from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Benchtop experimental results and theoretical predictions were shown to be in good agreement. The SAMP was mounted on human skin and experiments conducted on volunteer subjects demonstrated the SAMP’s capability to record human activity for hundreds of cycles in the fluidic domain through the observation of a stable liquid meniscus. Proof-of-concept experiments further revealed that the SAMP could quantify a single wrist activity repetition or distinguish between three different shoulder activities.