STTR Phase I: Wearable Fabric Sensor for Hydration Monitoring

这个SBIR第一阶段项目将提供原型产品，以满足耐力运动市场优先考虑的可穿戴传感器细分市场的客户需求。提出的传感器的一个优点是其手感类似于布料，这对用户的舒适性和便利性有好处。这与目前由厚厚的塑料材料制成的补水监测器形成了鲜明的对比，这些监测器需要使用额外的腕带或粘性贴片。这一价值主张是在2017年春季NSF I-Corps研讨会期间基于374次客户访谈的结果开发和测试的。这项研究确定了用于监测水合作用的织物传感器的商业和产品潜力。仅在2015年，就有超过1710万人完成了耐力项目。根据采访数据，由于过去的脱水和痉挛问题，50%的受访者对补水解决方案感兴趣。此外，40%的受访者表示对基于技术的解决方案感兴趣。这组人认为补水监测仪的目标市场为3.42亿美元，每台定价为100美元，根据I-Corps的采访，这是对整个可用市场的良好估计。总体而言，从开发的传感器收集的数据可以更好地了解健康和疾病过程，包括对常见糖尿病神经并发症的分析、囊性纤维化(CF)的诊断，以及用于高级假肢应用、卧床不起的患者或运动员表现跟踪的汗液监测，从而为所有患者提供更好的治疗和健康结果。分析一个人的汗液钠浓度的监测器将能够在他们开始患上运动引起的疾病(如高钠血症或低钠血症)之前通知他们。这一早期通知系统将使人们能够及时补充水分，并能够在需要时补充电解质，而不会过度补充水分。该团队已经开发出灵活、轻便的织物材料，可以从皮肤表面形成的汗液中选择性地确定生理信息。这项技术是第一个轻巧的织物传感器，可以提供运动或训练期间水分水平的实时信息。这些脱水模式是独特的，根据饮食、天气条件和人体生理周期的不同而不同。监测个人水分参数的能力是拟议中的传感器独有的，这使其相对于监测水分丢失的汗液监测仪或提醒运动员每20分钟喝一次水的计时器具有竞争优势。具体地说，拟议的工作将侧重于大规模开发水合监测仪，在材料测试期间和在运动生理学实验室中对该监测仪进行验证，并利用与潜在战略伙伴的伙伴关系。在运动员努力取得最佳成绩的同时，不适当的水合作用可能会破坏他们在训练和竞技环境中的进步。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This SBIR Phase I project will provide prototype products to satisfy customer needs in prioritized wearable sensor market segments for the endurance sports market. One advantage of the proposed sensor is its similar feel to cloth fabric, a benefit in comfort and convenience to the user. This is in contrast to current hydration monitors made of thick plastic materials requiring the use of an additional wristband or adhesive patch. This value proposition was developed and tested based on the findings of 374 customer interviews during a spring 2017 NSF I-Corps workshop. That study determined the commercial and product potential of a fabric sensor to monitor hydration. In 2015 alone more than 17.1 million people finished endurance events. According to interview data, 50% of respondents are interested in a hydration solution due to past dehydration and cramping issues. Additionally, 40% of respondents indicated interest in a technology-based solution. This group equates a target market of $342 million for a hydration monitor priced at $100 per unit, a good estimation of the total available market based on I-Corps interviews. In general, the data collected from the developed sensor could lead to better understanding of health and disease processes, including the analysis of common diabetic neurological complications, the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF), and sweat monitoring for advanced prosthetic limb applications, bedridden patients, or athlete performance tracking leading to better treatments and health outcomes for all patients. A monitor that analyzes the sodium concentration of a person's sweat would be able to notify them before they begin suffering from exercise-induced illnesses such as hypernatremia or hyponatermia. This early notification system would allow people to be on top of their hydration, and be able to replenish their electrolytes as needed, without overhydrating. The team has developed flexible, lightweight fabric materials that can selectively determine physiological information from sweat forming on the surface of the skin. The technology is the first lightweight fabric sensor to provide real-time information regarding hydration levels during exercise or training. These dehydration patterns are unique and vary based on diet, weather conditions, and human physiological cycles. The ability to monitor an individual's hydration parameters is unique to the proposed sensor and gives it a competitive advantage over sweat monitors that monitor water lost or water timers that remind the athlete to drink water every 20 minutes. Specifically, the proposed work will focus on the large-scale development of a hydration monitor, validation of the monitor during material testing and on the body in an exercise physiology laboratory, and leveraging partnerships with potential strategic partners. As athletes strive for peak performance, improper hydration can undermine their progress in both training and competitive settings.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.