MICRO system - Miniature Integrated Circuits Reporting Overall status

Continuous physiological monitoring can provide invaluable insight into the status of the person monitored. The right sensors can provide important information related to both the physical and mental state of the subject. Although sensing modalities and the information that can be gleaned from them is a fairly well advanced science, the sensors themselves lag behind in terms of being sufficiently unobtrusive and wearable. A near-term solution is possible by combining known engineering solutions in a novel way. By building on well understood technologies, our team is poised to prepare rugged miniature sensors that are embedded in a flexible adhesive patch and worn directly on the skin. Our system is called"Miniature Integrated Circuits Reporting Overall status"(MICRO). The MICRO system includes sensors for a broad range of physiologic signals. MICRO comprises discrete components on a flexible, stretchable substrate. Each component is less than 2 mm across and fits within the spongy adhesive substrate. MICRO includes power scavenging capabilities which augment an on-board battery, providing extended operating time. To eliminate wired connections and enable transmission of the data to any desired distance, the antenna is formed directly on to the flexible substrate and is itself flexible in multiple directions simultaneously.