Tag Archives: heartbeat

I’ve got my eye on you (tissue paper sensors from the University of Washington [state])

Leave a reply

University of Washington graduate student, Jinyuan Zhang, demonstrates how wearable sensors can track eye movement. Dennis R. Wise/University of Washington

A February 13, 2018 news item on phys.org announces a technology that can transform tissue paper into a sensor,

University of Washington engineers have turned tissue paper – similar to toilet tissue – into a new kind of wearable sensor that can detect a pulse, a blink of an eye and other human movement. The sensor is light, flexible and inexpensive, with potential applications in health care, entertainment and robotics.

A February 12, 2018 University of Washington news release (also on EurekAlert) by Jackson Holtz, which originated the news item, provides more detail (Note: Links have been removed),

The technology, described in a paper published in January in the journal Advanced Materials Technologies, shows that by tearing tissue paper that’s loaded with nanocomposites and breaking the paper’s fibers, the paper acts as a sensor. It can detect a heartbeat, finger force, finger movement, eyeball movement and more, said Jae-Hyun Chung, a UW associate professor of mechanical engineering and senior author of the research.

Finger sensor

University of Washington graduate student, Jinyuan Zhang, demonstrates how a wearable sensor can measure finger pressure.Dennis R. Wise/University of Washington

“The major innovation is a disposable wearable sensor made with cheap tissue paper,” said Chung. “When we break the specimen, it will work as a sensor.”

These small, Band Aid-sized sensors could have a variety of applications in various fields. For example, monitoring a person’s gait or the movement of their eyes can be used to inspect brain function or a game player’s actions. The sensor could track how a special-needs child walks in a home test, sparing the child the need for hospital visits. Or the sensors could be used in occupational therapy for seniors.

“They can use these sensors and after one-time use, they can be thrown away,” said Chung.

In their research, the scientists used paper similar to toilet tissue. The paper – nothing more than conventional paper towels – is then doused with carbon nanotube-laced water. Carbon nanotubes are tiny materials that create electrical conductivity. Each piece of tissue paper has both horizontal and vertical fibers, so when the paper is torn, the direction of the tear informs the sensor of what’s happened. To trace eye movement, they’re attached to a person’s reading glasses.

For now, the work has been contained to a laboratory, and researchers are hoping to find a suitable commercial use. A provisional patent was filed in December 2017.

…

The study was funded partially by Samsung Research America through the Think Tank Team Award.

Foot sensor

University of Washington mechanical engineering undergraduate, Yared Shella, demonstrates how foot pressure is measured with a wearable sensor.Dennis R. Wise/University of Washington

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Fracture-Induced Mechanoelectrical Sensitivities of Paper-Based Nanocomposites by Jinyuan Zhang, Gil-Yong Lee, Chiew Cerwyn, Jinkyu Yang, Fabrice Fondjo, Jong-Hoon Kim, Minoru Taya, Dayong Gao, and Jae-Hyun Chung. Advanced Materials Technologies Vol. 3 Issue 1 DOI: 10.1002/admt.201700266 Version of Record online: 26 JAN 2018

© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

This paper is behind a paywall.

Your heartbeat is your password

Leave a reply

Bionym has created a device, Nymi,  which allows you to use your heartbeat as a password according to a Sept. 10, 2013 news release on EurekAlert,

The next generation of biometric technology launches today with the Nymi, from Bionym, a technology start-up founded by University of Toronto engineering graduates. The Nymi is the world’s first wearable authentication device that uses your unique heartbeat to unlock your identity. The convenient and secure authentication is enabled through an embedded electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor. When the Nymi recognizes your personal ECG, it will communicate your identity to your devices. You remain authenticated until the Nymi is removed. The activated Nymi can then be used to gain access to all registered devices, completely bypassing passwords and PINs for seamless and secure access. Passwords, PINs and even keys and cards will become a thing of the past.

Not only is your ECG entirely unique, but the technology alone is also unlike anything currently on the market. The Nymi empowers users to bring their identity back to the digital world, not as a number, but as a person. Beyond direct access to your technology, the Nymi also allows users to take their identity to a completely interactive level. Simple, task-specific gesture commands allow for a dynamic interactive experience between the user and the technology that surrounds their daily life. Both motion sensing and proximity detection work simultaneously to enhance technological experiences. Something as simple as the twist of a wrist now has the capability to unlock a car or more.

While offering convenience and ease of use, security remains a top priority. The Nymi functions as a three-factor security system. It requires your personalized Nymi, your unique heartbeat, and a smartphone or device that has been registered to the app. This system, and the cutting edge biometrics supporting it, allow for complete security without compromising convenience. By registering with the app, users have the ability to create custom notifications, allowing for seamless connection to emails, texts, social updates and more. The app will be available on iOS, Android, Windows and Mac OSX.

Here’s a video that appears to be demonstrating the Nymi, from the Get Nymi website,

Shades of the Pebble (a watch designed to do much more, although I understand it’s a bit ‘buggy‘)! It’s nice to see the Nymi developers have considered privacy issues but I don’t see any mention of health issues in the news release or on the Bionym company website, e.g., could this cause a problem for people with pacemakers? After all, the person in the video is a young male and, presumably, healthy.