Smart Diapers Notify Caregivers when Soiled
By HospiMedica International staff writers Posted on 25 Feb 2020 |
Image: RFID tags embedded in diapers can alert when they are wet (Photo courtesy of MIT)
A new study describes how a diaper embedded with a moisture sensor and a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag can alert a caregiver when it becomes wet.
Developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA) and Michigan State University (MSU; East Lansing, USA), the diaper is based on a disposable moisture sensor that consists of a passive ultrahigh frequency (UHF) RFID tag placed below a layer of a hydrogel super absorbent polymer (SAP), commonly used in diapers to soak up moisture. When the hydrogel becomes wet, the material expands and becomes electrically conductive, enough to trigger the RFID tag to send a signal to a reader placed up to one meter away.
The sensor itself resembles a bow tie, the middle of which consists of a RFID chip connecting between the two distal triangles, each made from SAP. When wet, the material properties of SAP change, and the hydrogel becomes weakly conductive; adding a small amount of copper boosts conductivity so that the RFID tag can react to radio signals emitted by the RFID reader. The RFID tags used are low-cost (about two US cents) and disposable, and can be printed in rolls of individual stickers, similar to barcode tags. The study was published on December 2019 in IEEE Sensors Journal.
“An RFID reader connected to the internet could be placed in a baby's room to detect wet diapers, at which point it could send a notification to a caregiver's phone or computer that a change is needed,” said lead author Pankhuri Sen, BSc, of the MIT AutoID Laboratory. “Diapers are used not just for babies, but for aging populations, or patients who are bedridden and unable to take care of themselves. It would be convenient in these cases for a caregiver to be notified that a patient, particularly in a multibed hospital, needs changing.”
An RFID tag consists of a tiny radio transponder. When triggered by an electromagnetic interrogation pulse from a nearby RFID reader device, the tag transmits digital data, usually an identifying inventory number, back to the reader. There are two types of tags; passive tags are powered by energy from the RFID reader's interrogating radio waves, while active tags are powered by a battery, and thus can be read at a greater range, up to hundreds of meters.
Related Links:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Michigan State University
Developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA) and Michigan State University (MSU; East Lansing, USA), the diaper is based on a disposable moisture sensor that consists of a passive ultrahigh frequency (UHF) RFID tag placed below a layer of a hydrogel super absorbent polymer (SAP), commonly used in diapers to soak up moisture. When the hydrogel becomes wet, the material expands and becomes electrically conductive, enough to trigger the RFID tag to send a signal to a reader placed up to one meter away.
The sensor itself resembles a bow tie, the middle of which consists of a RFID chip connecting between the two distal triangles, each made from SAP. When wet, the material properties of SAP change, and the hydrogel becomes weakly conductive; adding a small amount of copper boosts conductivity so that the RFID tag can react to radio signals emitted by the RFID reader. The RFID tags used are low-cost (about two US cents) and disposable, and can be printed in rolls of individual stickers, similar to barcode tags. The study was published on December 2019 in IEEE Sensors Journal.
“An RFID reader connected to the internet could be placed in a baby's room to detect wet diapers, at which point it could send a notification to a caregiver's phone or computer that a change is needed,” said lead author Pankhuri Sen, BSc, of the MIT AutoID Laboratory. “Diapers are used not just for babies, but for aging populations, or patients who are bedridden and unable to take care of themselves. It would be convenient in these cases for a caregiver to be notified that a patient, particularly in a multibed hospital, needs changing.”
An RFID tag consists of a tiny radio transponder. When triggered by an electromagnetic interrogation pulse from a nearby RFID reader device, the tag transmits digital data, usually an identifying inventory number, back to the reader. There are two types of tags; passive tags are powered by energy from the RFID reader's interrogating radio waves, while active tags are powered by a battery, and thus can be read at a greater range, up to hundreds of meters.
Related Links:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Michigan State University
Latest Patient Care News
- Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization
- Game-Changing Innovation in Surgical Instrument Sterilization Significantly Improves OR Throughput
- Next Gen ICU Bed to Help Address Complex Critical Care Needs
- Groundbreaking AI-Powered UV-C Disinfection Technology Redefines Infection Control Landscape
- Clean Hospitals Can Reduce Antibiotic Resistance, Save Lives
- Smart Hospital Beds Improve Accuracy of Medical Diagnosis
- New Fast Endoscope Drying System Improves Productivity and Traceability
- World’s First Automated Endoscope Cleaner Fights Antimicrobial Resistance
- Portable High-Capacity Digital Stretcher Scales Provide Precision Weighing for Patients in ER
- Portable Clinical Scale with Remote Indicator Allows for Flexible Patient Weighing Use
- Innovative and Highly Customizable Medical Carts Offer Unlimited Configuration Possibilities
- Biomolecular Wound Healing Film Adheres to Sensitive Tissue and Releases Active Ingredients
- Wearable Health Tech Could Measure Gases Released From Skin to Monitor Metabolic Diseases
- Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator System Protects Patients at Risk of Sudden Cardiac Arrest
- World's First AI-Ready Infrasound Stethoscope Listens to Bodily Sounds Not Audible to Human Ear
- POC Diagnostic Platform Offers Handheld, Instrument-Free PCR Testing for STIs