KEYWORDS: Signal to noise ratio, Glucose, Near infrared spectroscopy, Blood, Prototyping, Error analysis, Education and training, Sensors, Data acquisition, Background noise
SignificanceMany researchers have proposed various non-invasive glucose monitoring (NIGM) approaches using wearable or portable devices. However, due to the limited capacity of detectors for such compact devices and the movement of the body during measurement, the precision of the acquired data frequently diminishes, which can cause problems during actual use in daily life. In addition, intensive smoothing is often used in post-processing to mitigate the effects of erroneous values. However, this requires a considerable amount of data and results in a delay in the response to the actual blood glucose level (BGL).AimInstead of just applying data smoothing in the post-process of the data acquisition, we propose an active low-quality data screening method in the pre-process. In the proposal phase of the screening process, we employ an analytical approach to examine and formulate factors that might affect the BGL estimation accuracy.ApproachA signal quality index inspired by the standard deviation concept is introduced to detect visually apparent noise on signals. Furthermore, the total estimation error in the metabolic index (MI) is calculated based on potential perturbations defined by the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the uncertainty due to discrete sampling. Thereafter, the acquired data were screened by these quality indices.ResultsBy applying the proposed data screening process to the data obtained from a commercially available smartwatch device in the pre-process, the estimation accuracy of the MI-based BGL was improved significantly.ConclusionsAdopting the proposed screen process improves BGL estimation accuracy in the smartwatch-based prototype. Applying the proposed screen process will facilitate the integration of wearable and continuous BGL monitoring into size- and SNR-limited devices such as smartwatches and smart rings.
SignificanceMany researchers have attempted to estimate blood glucose levels (BGLs) noninvasively using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. However, the optical absorption change induced by blood glucose is weak in the NIR region and often masked by interference from other components such as water and hemoglobin.AimInstead of using direct optical absorption by glucose, this study proposes an index calculated from oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin signals that shows a good correlation with BGLs while using conventional visible and NIR spectroscopy.ApproachThe metabolic index, which is based on tissue oxygen consumption, was derived through analytical methods and further verified and reproduced in a series of glucose challenge experiments. Blood glucose estimation units were prototyped by utilizing commercially available smart devices.ResultsOur experimental results showed that the phase delay between the oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin signals in near-infrared spectroscopy correlates with BGL measured by a conventional continuous glucose monitor. The proposed method was also confirmed to work well with visible spectroscopy systems based on smartphone cameras. The proposed method also demonstrated excellent repeatability in results from a total of 19 oral challenge tests.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated the feasibility of non-invasive glucose monitoring using existing photoplethysmography sensors for pulse oximeters and smartwatches. Evaluating the proposed method in diabetic or unhealthy individuals may serve to further increase its practicality.
Focusing on graphene’s high thermal conductivity and high emissivity, we developed a mid-IR light source using a suspended graphene structure as the light emitter. Compared to conventional mid-IR light emitters, this new source has approximately 1000x faster response time and 95% lower power consumption. In addition, it features high brightness and an emission spectrum similar to that of a black body. We used multilayer graphene deposited on Ni foil and transferred it onto a micro-trench etched into a Si/SiO2 wafer to create the suspended structure. The thermal insulation provided by this design allowed for heating of the free standing segment to temperatures over 1000 deg. C through electrical currents. Packaging the light emitter into a vacuum-sealed TO-5 metal can further improved the insulation and ensures a long lifetime for the graphene light emitter. These characteristics make the light source ideal for many analytical applications.
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