Your sweat could hold secrets about your health, researchers say – here’s how

New technologies could greatly facilitate the monitoring of patients’ vital health signs.

Engineers at the University of California, San Diego, have developed an electronic device to monitor levels of important chemicals — such as glucose, vitamins and even medications — using only human sweat, the university said in a news release.

This wearable innovation would be as easy to use as wearing an adhesive bandage.

The research was published September 3 in the journal Nature Electronics.

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“This is the first demonstration of a comprehensive zero-electricity-powered sweat extraction and sensing platform that enables noninvasive monitoring of multiple biomarkers to support a wide range of practical scenarios in personalized healthcare monitoring and wellness management,” Dr. Joseph Wang, PhD, a professor in the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering at UC San Diego, told Fox News Digital in an email.

According to the researchers, the wearable device wraps snugly around the finger and draws its energy from the sweat in the fingertip.

“Despite their small size, fingers are among the largest producers of sweat in the body, each containing more than 1,000 sweat glands,” the press release states.

The device is built from electronic components and printed on a thin, flexible and stretchable polymer material.

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It conforms to the finger and is “durable enough to withstand repeated bending, stretching and movement,” the researchers said.

Wang added: “It is based on a remarkable integration of energy harvesting and storage components, with multiple biosensors in a fluidic microchannel, as well as the corresponding electronic controller, all within reach.”

Health at your fingertips – literally

According to the research team, finger taping proved effective in trials.

“The wearable fingertip microgrid works automatically after being worn on the finger,” study co-first author Shichao Ding, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in Wang’s research group at UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering, told Fox News Digital via email.

Participants wore the device on their fingertip while performing daily activities such as working at a desk, walking, eating and sleeping to assess “the real-time performance of the sensors and energy harvesting system.”

Biomarker levels can be automatically monitored from sweat for on-demand health tracking, Ding added.

According to researchers, the glands in the fingertips can produce 100 to 1,000 times more sweat than most other areas of the body, even at rest.

“The fingertips are among the areas where we produce the most sweat, each containing more than 1,000 sweat glands.”

“This constant trickle of natural perspiration – without any stimulus or physical activity – provides a reliable source of energy, powering the device even during periods of inactivity or sleep,” they said.

Ding added: “Autonomous power, sensing and processing all in one device: that’s the ultimate goal.”

Next steps

In the future, the researchers plan to improve the device’s performance with additional energy harvesting techniques.

It could involve generating mechanical energy from human movement, such as common finger movements like tapping or typing, Ding said.

Researchers are working to optimize the circuit design, battery, low-power sensing modules and data transmission to improve the device’s lifespan, stability and functionality, the researcher said, which will help ensure a sustainable balance between energy production and consumption.

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“Researchers are working to develop a closed-loop system that not only monitors biomarkers, but also administers treatments based on the data collected,” Ding told Fox News Digital.

“For example, in the case of diabetes, such a device could continuously monitor glucose levels, automatically deliver insulin as needed, and then assess the effectiveness of treatment by further monitoring biomarker levels.”

A “pioneering” innovation

Seokheun “Sean” Choi, Ph.D., a professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at Binghamton University in New York, was not involved in the development of the device but commented on its potential.

Wearable technology has made significant progress, noted Choi, who specializes in developing biosensing and bioenergy technologies, including self-powered biosensors and other solutions for personalized health monitoring.

“However, achieving true energy independence – where devices are self-contained and always on – remains a major challenge,” he told Fox News Digital.

Current wearable devices rely on batteries or other energy storage devices, Choi noted, which pose limitations “due to their volume and limited energy capacity.”

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The finger bandage is “revolutionary” in terms of simple energy production and health monitoring, he confirmed.

“To realize the next generation of wearable applications, energy autonomy is essential, allowing devices to operate continuously, independently and autonomously,” Choi said.

“Autonomous power, detection and processing combined in a single device: this is the ultimate goal.”

“Professor Wang’s group pioneered the integration of a sweat-powered electrochemical fuel cell with an energy storage battery, achieving high and sustained performance by using fingertip sweat to generate significant energy,” he continued.

“It’s revolutionary because sweat was collected non-invasively and practically at the fingertips, in a simple and direct way.”

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In addition to monitoring metabolic functions, Choi said, this solution also has the potential to be used for a wide range of medical applications.