Now, scientists have combined these two to create Face Bit: a device that fits inside a mask and can monitor respiration, heart rate, and even how well the mask fits or when it's time to replace it.
The National Science Foundation, a group of researchers at Northwestern University designed a smart sensor about the size of a quarter. The device, dubbed Face Bit, attaches with a tiny magnet inside a surgical, cloth, or respirator face mask, such an N95, KN95, or KF94. The device is powered by a rechargeable internal battery that lasts at least 11 days and generates more energy from sunlight, motion, and the heat from breath.
The researchers interviewed health care workers who tried out the Face Bit about its comfort and ease of use, and they tested the accuracy of the device's readings. They published their findings in the Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies journal series.
The device serves two purposes: to monitor several health metrics and to alert when the mask has become inefficient for some reason due to poor fit, a leak, or deterioration. Face Bit measures heart rate and respiration based on temperature changes from breath. It uses pressure measurements to determine how well the mask fits and how long a person has been wearing it.
The device transmits data to a smartphone app where the user can easily monitor wear time, heart rate, number of breaths, and temperature changes. The app also shows the wear time as a fraction of how long the mask is recommended to be so the person knows when to remove or replace the mask.
The data collected by the Face Bit device may be able to help determine a person's physical health, emotional state, and energy level, such as whether they're becoming tired. Eventually, users will be able to customize the app to use push notifications and add other alerts as desired, such as reminders to take breaks and stay hydrated.
According to Engadget, the Face Bit still needs to go through clinical trials before it can be used by the public. Also, the device will likely be most helpful to health care professionals.
What Is COVID-19?
A coronavirus is a kind of common virus that causes an infection in your nose, sinuses, or upper throat. Most coronaviruses aren't dangerous.
In early 2020, after a December 2019 outbreak in China, the World Health Organization identified SARS-CoV-2 as a new type of coronavirus. The outbreak quickly spread around the world.
COVID-19 is a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 that can trigger what doctors call a respiratory tract infection. It can affect your upper respiratory tract (sinuses, nose, and throat) or lower respiratory tract (windpipe and lungs).
It spreads the same way other coronaviruses do, mainly through person-to-person contact. Infections range from mild to deadly.
SARS-CoV-2 is one of seven types of coronavirus, including the ones that cause severe diseases like Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and sudden acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The other coronaviruses cause most of the colds that affect us during the year but aren't a serious threat for otherwise healthy people.
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