A wearable ultrasound gadget created by engineers at the University of California, San Diego, provides wireless, continuous muscle activity monitoring. This battery-operated patch uses adhesive to adhere to the skin, allowing for high-resolution muscle tracking without the need for intrusive treatments.
The group published its results in Nature Electronics, led by Sheng Xu from UC San Diego’s Nano Engineering Department. They created the device in partnership with medical professor Jinghong Li, which has potential uses in respiratory health by monitoring diaphragm motion and thickness when worn across the rib cage.
Experiments established the device’s ability to measure diaphragm movement on the rib cage.This function makes respiratory evaluations easier, especially for individuals who have breathing problems or are ventilator dependent. By translating muscle impulses into commands, the device detects the movements of the hands and wrists on the forearm, enabling users to operate a robotic arm and even engage in virtual gaming.
This ultrasound technique delivers more resolution and signal clarity than traditional electromyography (EMG), which uses metal electrodes. In contrast to EMG, this device isolates specific muscle fiber movements using a single transducer that transmits and receives controlled ultrasonic waves.
Housed in a flexible silicone case, the device includes a custom wireless circuit, a lithium-polymer battery, and an artificial intelligence algorithm that maps signals to precise muscle actions.Thirteen degrees of freedom, including finger joints and wrist rotations, may be recognized in hand motions thanks to AI. Submillimeter accuracy, potentially benefiting those with asthma, COPD, or pneumonia. With further refinements in accuracy, portability, and energy use, this wearable ultrasound technology could soon become a standard tool for continuous, real-time muscle monitoring.
