Smart mask that costs $1 can check your health

New research has shown that a paper “smart mask” could be employed to identify whether or not individuals having oxygen emissions and hence ascertain if a person is ill. 
 
Caltech scientists have invented a face mask that can monitor health conditions including asthma and Covid, alcohol consumption – ICT Report. 
 
Other smart masks which have recently been in the development process can detect changes in temperature, humidity, or even the rate of breath while the developed gadget, known as EBCare, detects chemicals mixed into the person’s breath in real-time, without requiring him or her to spend a lot of time in the hospital. 
 
Dr Wei Gao of the University of California whose team created the mask prototype of EBC said that the technology could be used in monitoring whether medical therapies are effective or not. 
 
Feedbacks at home or in the office 
 
Prof Gao said: “Supervision of a patient’s breathing is one of the most frequent procedures, for instance, to diagnose and evaluate asthma and other similar disorders. 
 
“This has however entailed the patient to make a clinic visit to have sample collected, then wait for results. 
 
“After the Covid-19 outbreak, the population has been seen wearing masks more. ” We need to continue using these masks for the purpose of remote personalized monitoring and get immediate feedback on our health situated in home or office. 
 
“For instance, this information may be used to find out how effective a medical treatment may be” 
 
The cost of EBC (exhaled breath condensate) mask is about $1 (76p) As is the case with the temperature sensitive gel used in its construction, the idea of operation of mask greatly depends on cooling the breath, which in turn results in its condensation and transforming it into a liquid. 
 
After the breath has been converted into a liquid through the help of the needle, a series of capillaries carried the liquid to the sensors right away. 
 
The results can be easily transferred wirelessly to a private phone, tablet or a computer. 
 
‘Versatile health monitor’ 
 
Initially, the patients with asthma or lung disease were given masks that analysed their breathe for nitrite a chemical that signifies inflammation. 
 
Thus, the masks were achieved the identification of the biomarker that pointed to inflammation in the airways of the patients. 
 
The team also demonstrated how the masks distinguished between alcohol and other types of blood and pointed out the usefulness of such masks in on-site drink-drive checks. 
 
Prof Gao added: ‘First these are pieces of proof showing that this line of research is viable. ’ It is our desire to generalize this technology to include other markers with relation to other health statuses. 
 
“This is a foundation for creating a mask that is an all-round health monitoring interface. ” 
 
It is also worth learning that Prof Gao has already created a number of wearable biosensors that aim at analysing human sweat to determine metabolites, nutrients, hormones, and proteins. 
 
Wenzheng Heng, study lead author, said: The mask gives a new concept of the respiratory and metabolic diseases and accurate treatment. . . 
 
“Breath condensate also comprises soluble gases and nonvolatile aerosols or droplets comprising metabolic substrates, inflammation markers, and pathogens, inter alia. ” 
 
The finding of the research was published in Science journal.