Design of a flexible, wearable interdigitated capacitive sensor for monitoring biomarkers of atopic dermatitis
Design of a flexible, wearable interdigitated capacitive sensor for monitoring biomarkers of atopic dermatitis
The emergence of wearable and remote sensing devices in e-health has revolutionized personalized healthcare monitoring, but the field of dermatology has yet to witness significant progress in this area. The diagnosis and monitoring of atopic dermatitis (AD), a common skin disease causing inflammation and rashes, depend on in-person assessment, leading to subjective evaluations and treatment procedures. This work presents a novel interdigitated capacitive sensor, specifically designed to detect biomarkers of AD and to empirically estimate the severity of the condition. The design was proven by finite-element analysis software to detect only biomarkers of AD - dehydration of the outermost skin layer. The IDC sensor has a compact and flexible footprint (sensing area of around 40 mm2); it is compatible with a wearable and noninvasive system, and can be used to remotely gather localized data about the condition. To calibrate its measurements, a novel hydration-gradient skin-mimicking phantom was developed, which simulates varying skin hydration conditions on the same substrate. The sensor is compared against a commercial skin hydration device, and its sensitivity is mapped against the arbitrary units (A.U.s) of the commercial device, resulting in a normalized capacitance sensitivity of 13.1 pF/cm2 per 1 A.U. This novel IDC sensor is the first sensor to accurately measure the permittivity of specific layers of the skin. Its bespoke design is the main enabler of the outermost layer's permittivity to be isolated from the skin. This presents promising prospects for remote patient care, enabling accurate diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and personalized interventions for AD.
Atopic dermatitis (AD), flexible wearable sensors, interdigitated capacitors (IDCs), interdigitated sensors, skin hydration, skin phantom, stratum corneum (SC) permittivity
6856-6866
Todorov, Alexandar R.
7d07e4a8-bbca-471f-b7fc-72a7835dcfe1
Goyal, Krittika
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Torah, Russel N.
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Wagih, Mahmoud
7e7b16ba-0c64-4f95-bd3c-99064055f693
Ardern-Jones, Michael R.
7ac43c24-94ab-4d19-ba69-afaa546bec90
Day, Steven W.
cb0f66c6-da65-47d2-8108-64a2465f5584
Beeby, Stephen P.
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1 March 2024
Todorov, Alexandar R.
7d07e4a8-bbca-471f-b7fc-72a7835dcfe1
Goyal, Krittika
33a63fb9-5f6c-499c-b208-f6c7d578a2f2
Torah, Russel N.
7147b47b-db01-4124-95dc-90d6a9842688
Wagih, Mahmoud
7e7b16ba-0c64-4f95-bd3c-99064055f693
Ardern-Jones, Michael R.
7ac43c24-94ab-4d19-ba69-afaa546bec90
Day, Steven W.
cb0f66c6-da65-47d2-8108-64a2465f5584
Beeby, Stephen P.
ba565001-2812-4300-89f1-fe5a437ecb0d
Todorov, Alexandar R., Goyal, Krittika, Torah, Russel N., Wagih, Mahmoud, Ardern-Jones, Michael R., Day, Steven W. and Beeby, Stephen P.
(2024)
Design of a flexible, wearable interdigitated capacitive sensor for monitoring biomarkers of atopic dermatitis.
IEEE Sensors Journal, 24 (5), .
(doi:10.1109/JSEN.2023.3342992).
Abstract
The emergence of wearable and remote sensing devices in e-health has revolutionized personalized healthcare monitoring, but the field of dermatology has yet to witness significant progress in this area. The diagnosis and monitoring of atopic dermatitis (AD), a common skin disease causing inflammation and rashes, depend on in-person assessment, leading to subjective evaluations and treatment procedures. This work presents a novel interdigitated capacitive sensor, specifically designed to detect biomarkers of AD and to empirically estimate the severity of the condition. The design was proven by finite-element analysis software to detect only biomarkers of AD - dehydration of the outermost skin layer. The IDC sensor has a compact and flexible footprint (sensing area of around 40 mm2); it is compatible with a wearable and noninvasive system, and can be used to remotely gather localized data about the condition. To calibrate its measurements, a novel hydration-gradient skin-mimicking phantom was developed, which simulates varying skin hydration conditions on the same substrate. The sensor is compared against a commercial skin hydration device, and its sensitivity is mapped against the arbitrary units (A.U.s) of the commercial device, resulting in a normalized capacitance sensitivity of 13.1 pF/cm2 per 1 A.U. This novel IDC sensor is the first sensor to accurately measure the permittivity of specific layers of the skin. Its bespoke design is the main enabler of the outermost layer's permittivity to be isolated from the skin. This presents promising prospects for remote patient care, enabling accurate diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and personalized interventions for AD.
Text
FlexWearIDC_MonitoringAD_TodorovA
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 29 November 2023
Published date: 1 March 2024
Keywords:
Atopic dermatitis (AD), flexible wearable sensors, interdigitated capacitors (IDCs), interdigitated sensors, skin hydration, skin phantom, stratum corneum (SC) permittivity
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 485643
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/485643
ISSN: 1530-437X
PURE UUID: 108458bc-cca1-4c3e-a900-9af0c19af803
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Date deposited: 13 Dec 2023 17:34
Last modified: 05 Mar 2026 03:00
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Contributors
Author:
Alexandar R. Todorov
Author:
Krittika Goyal
Author:
Russel N. Torah
Author:
Mahmoud Wagih
Author:
Steven W. Day
Author:
Stephen P. Beeby
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