Researchers Develop PERfECT Wearable Biosensing System to Monitor Health

Researchers from Hong Kong University (HKU) have developed a coin-sized biosensing system capable of detecting medical issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, mental health, and more. Known as the Personalized Electronic Reader for Electrochemical Transistors (PERfECT), the system can read weak electrochemical signals that can be tailored for personalized health monitoring and worn as a patch or integrated into a smartwatch to track biosignals.

“Our wearable system is tiny, soft and imperceptible to wearers, and it can do continuous monitoring of our body condition. These features mean it has the potential to revolutionize healthcare technology,” explains Dr. Shiming Zhang of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. According to the team, the PERfECT system provides a step forward for organic electrochemical transistors, which are widely considered next-gen sensing technology because of their water stability and high sensitivity at low operating voltages.

PERfECT is outfitted with an electromechanical sensor that enables a data sampling rate of up to 200-kilo samples per second, a significant boost over current sensors tasked with biosensing. The system can also function as a miniaturized electrochemical station for wearable devices and measure the outputs of other low-voltage transistors, including electrolyte-gated field effect and high-k dielectric-gated thin-film transistors. Moreover, PERfECT can be utilized immediately in multiple wearable devices outfitted with low-voltage transistors.