R. Ghaffari
Northwestern University,
United States
Summary:
Extreme heat has many harmful effects on cognitive and physical performance as well as physiological function, in the context of sports, industrial work, clinical rehabilitation, and maternal health. Because sweat and electrolyte losses vary across individuals, conventional sweat testing strategies using absorbent patch techniques are employed in laboratory settings to characterize sweat biomarkers and hydration needs; however, these lab-based techniques are not suitable for remote environments. Here, I present wearable microfluidic sweat-sensing platforms that incorporate: i) colorimetric sensors for electrolytes, metabolites and proteins; and ii) electrochemical sensing for sweating rates and electrolyte concentrations, and in tandem with biophysical sensing capabilities (e.g. skin temperature, motion). Field trials and commercialization efforts are underway in sports, industrial safety, and next generation medical applications, highlighting the utility of these sweat-sensing platforms to impact outcomes in remote and resource limited settings.