Smart Breath Tracker Wristband to Revolutionize Respiratory Care

Monitoring breathing in people with chronic respiratory diseases remains a challenge, as most conventional methods—like chest belts or nasal prongs—are intrusive and impractical for everyday use. Indirect approaches using heart rate or pulse waveforms improve comfort but often compromise accuracy. As traditional methods struggle to capture the complexity of human respiration, there is an urgent need for comfortable, long-term monitoring systems that can deliver precise respiratory data. Now, researchers have developed a new lightweight wristband that measures detailed respiratory patterns directly from the pulse with clinical-grade accuracy.

The system, developed by researchers from North University of China (Taiyuan, China) and Xiamen University (Xiamen, China), unobtrusively tracks respiratory activity. The device, highlighted in Microsystems & Nanoengineering, provides continuous, accurate monitoring for individuals with chronic conditions or recovering from illness. At the core of this innovation is a 300-μm-thick fingertip-inspired flexible pressure sensor printed on a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) substrate. The sensor detects subtle pulse wave changes caused by breathing and transmits the data via Bluetooth to a mobile app. The system processes these signals—specifically respiration-induced amplitude variation (RIAV), fluctuation in ventricular filling (RIFV), and variation in baseline (RIIV)—using a hybrid deep learning model that combines a Residual Network with a Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (ResNet-BiLSTM) neural network. This model deciphers the complex temporal and spatial characteristics of respiratory patterns and accurately classifies slow, normal, fast, and simulated breathing with over 99.5% precision.

The wearable was tested on 13 human participants under machine-simulated breathing conditions. The device consistently delivered high accuracy across different respiratory states. Its ultra-lightweight design—just 9 grams—along with skin-conforming comfort and mechanical durability enabled prolonged wear without discomfort, validating its robustness and reliability in both real-world and controlled settings. This solution eliminates the need for placement on the chest or near the airways, greatly simplifying use and increasing day-to-day feasibility. Its compatibility with mobile platforms allows real-time tracking, data logging, and early alerts, offering clinicians and caregivers valuable insights for managing chronic diseases like COPD and sleep apnea. The technology may also serve broader populations, including athletes, astronauts, and individuals in high-altitude or physically demanding environments. With its blend of comfort, accuracy, and intelligent processing, this wrist-worn respiratory monitor represents a promising advancement in wearable health technology.

“Our mission was to bridge the gap between high-precision monitoring and wearable comfort,” said Dr. Libo Gao, senior author of the study. “We’ve shown that you can track respiration with clinical accuracy—without putting anything on your chest or face. This could be a game-changer in how we approach remote health monitoring, especially for patients who need round-the-clock care.”