Week 2 - The Future of Sensor Capabilities

Many people like to talk about how advanced technology is damaging our way of life by eliminating more and more jobs.  Although that is true for a lot of professions, technological advances are also improving our way of life by making us healthier and safer.  A common trend today is the wearing of different fitness trackers such as Jawbone Ups, Fitbits, and FuelBands that use internal sensors to monitor calories burned, heart rates, severity of sleep apnea, and even slouching (Jones).  This type of sensor technology is a wonderful way of encouraging people to be more aware of their health.  Although these wearable sensors are being sold to the masses for increasingly lower costs, the future capabilities of fitness and medical sensors will be able to monitor and track areas of health that is harder to control and measure. 

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) already have the ability to connect a brain to a computer using wired connections, but want to use that technology to create a sensor that could “lead to unobtrusive, thought-controlled prosthetics and other assistive devices for people with amputated limbs, paralysis, or other movement impairments.” (Sensors)  Although this is a large hurdle for researchers to overcome, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes a reality.  It is likely that implanted sensors in the brain could then be connected to other sensors in the body to manipulate and improve other deficiencies such as blindness by connecting the brain sensors with others that may be implanted in an eye. 

Another area of ongoing research is using biological sensors for medical improvement.  One example of this is by using “engineered cells that can be ‘programmed’ with receptors that latch onto specific brain chemicals. The resulting chain of activity causes a protein within the cell to change color that researchers can detect” (Sensors).  Allowing scientists to monitor brain activity in this way can give insight to possible mental disorders.  It can also be used to fight diseases such as HIV that are often hidden in cells and have processes that can be hard to monitor.  One problem with biological sensors is that our bodies tend to want to fix anything that doesn’t belong, including sensors.  Research at the NIBIB is trying to improve sensor abilities against our bodies’ natural defenses by “creating novel types of coatings that improve sensor sensitivity, selectivity, and stability” (Sensors).

As mentioned in Tyler’s post, future sensors will need to be able to adapt to their environment to be more effective.  Additionally, Audrey’s post mentioned that future sensors need to be able to consume energy from surroundings to remain cost-effective.  While one would like the health of a person to remain steady and in good standing, vital signs and other chemical processes are constantly changing and affecting the health of a person.  Sensors located throughout the brain and elsewhere in the body will need to employ adaptive measures and utilize energy produced by the body to remain both cost-effective and fully functional.

Sources:

Jones, Scott. "The Future of Wearable Technology." Inc.com. N.p., 3 Oct. 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

"Sensors." National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. U.S. Department of Health &Human Services, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. <http://www.nibib.nih.gov/science-education/science-topics/sensors>.