Coyle, Shirley

Diamond, Dermot

English

Irish Universities

Nanosensors, big benefit or big brother

DCU Online Research Access Service

Bendy chipsFlexible, stretchable circuitsTo the ExtremesNano to withstand the harshest environmentsChristoph GerberMicroscopy pioneer’s visions for the futureSmall country, Big ideasSwitzerland’s nanotech environment PlasmaNew treatments for functionalised textilesNanosensorsBig benefit or big brotherWhat’s new in nanoKeep up with the latest newsPLUS: F INE  TUN ING OPT ICAL  TECHNIQUES FOR SELECT IVE  FLUORESCENCETHE MAGAZINE FOR SMALL SCIENCEISSUE NINE DECEMBER 2008€5.00 / £3.50 ISSN 1757-2517Gear upfor GoldNano is changingthe sports arena038FEATURENanotechnology is solving the problems ofconnecting hard, brittle electronics with soft,pliable textiles. “Smart” garments withintegrated nanosensors are now becomingwearable rather than portable. A ‘smart’ garment must be just like any othergarment in our wardrobe, i.e. comfortable,durable, washable and be able to withstandthe general hardship that we put our clothesthrough every day. This is critical forwearable technology to move outside of thelaboratories and into realistic settings. Through the use of functionalised fibres andyarns the fabric itself becomes the sensorthus creating garments with inherentsensing capabilities. Conductive metallicyarns are knitted or woven to createelectrodes for ECG signals, while piezo-resistive conducting polymer fabrics maybe used to measure breathing patterns, gaitand joint movements. Textile-based nanosensors form part of apersonalised healthcare system providingvaluable information regarding the wearer’sphysiology. This empowers the wearer withan increased awareness of their own healthstatus which may serve to reinforce ahealthy lifestyle, monitor fitness levels,provide early detection of illness andprevent disease. By gathering data in the home andcommunity setting, nanosensors can helpovercome the problems associated withclinical visits, which only provide a snapshotof personal health status. Vital signs such asheart rate, respiration and temperature canbe measured on a continuous basis.Wearable sensors allow remote monitoringof a patient, in familiar surroundings,thus facilitating a more normal lifestyle,uninterrupted by time-consuming hospitalvisits that often contribute to patient anxietyand stress.By 2050 approximately 20% of the worldpopulation will be at least 60 years old, andthe healthcare system must adapt to copewith this demographic change.  Nanosensors embedded into clothing orhome textiles may be used to monitor healthand activity while nanosensors furnishing a“smart” home provide a network ofintelligent devices that learn the user’sroutine and respond accordingly.  A central monitoring unit can aggregateinformation from the physiological andenvironmental sensors and contact arelative or ambulance in the event of anemergency. This type of monitoringtechnique has many applications related tohome care of patients with cognitiveimpairments such as Alzheimer’s, geriatricdementia or psychological problems.  Remote health monitoring is a key strategythat can increase autonomy and assist in theactivities of daily living enabling people,who currently may require high-costconstant caring, to continue to live largelyindependent lives.While nanosensors can have huge potentialin the healthcare sector, there are manyother applications of this technology.  Justrecently at the Beijing Olympics we sawhow highly engineered textiles haveassisted in breaking records in swimmingthrough the use of swimsuits that minimiseTEXTILES AS A UNIVERSAL INTERFACE ARE CONSTANTLY INTERACTING WITHOUR BODIES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT, THEREBY PRESENTING AN IDEALPLATFORM FOR PLACING OR INTEGRATING SENSING DEVICES. WHILE THEEARLIEST SENSING GARMENTS HAVE APPEARED AS CUMBERSOME DEVICES,WITH TRIED AND TRUSTED MACRO-ELECTRONICS ATTACHED ON TOP, NEWTECHNOLOGY IS ENABLING A MORE SEAMLESS INTEGRATION. NanosensorsBig Benefit or Big BrotherBY SHIRLEY COYLE AND DERMOT DIAMOND039drag, while also reducing muscle fatigue.The sports industry is continually usingtechnology to increase capabilities andpush athletes to higher limits.  Nanocoatings are producing bettermoisture wicking fabrics to keep thewearer cool and comfortable. Nanosensorsembedded into sportswear allow athletes totrack their performance and develop apersonalised training program.  The importance of using new functionalisedclothes is that athletes can be monitoredduring normal training sessions, i.e. theycan train as usual out on the track or on thefootball pitch, as opposed to being hookedup to machines in a lab.  Body position and limb movements can berecorded in addition to physiological datasuch as heart rate and breathing patterns.Novel research into on-body chemicalsensors may assist in developingpersonalised nutritional and hydrationstrategies. These applications are notrestricted to the elite athlete, butincreasingly apply to all levels of abilityin order to maximise the benefits of awork-out.  In the gym, aerobic training machinesdisplay the number of calories burned,distance travelled and have an inbuilt heartrate monitor to keep the user within trainingzone specifications. Nanosensors can takethis a step further in providing individualmonitoring and assist in personalachievement of training goals, outside of thespecialised gym environment.            In extreme environmental conditions andhazardous situations there is a need for real-time information technology to increase theprotection and survivability of the peopleworking in those conditions. Improvementsin performance and additional capabilitieswould be of immense assistance withinprofessions such as the defence forces andemergency response services.  Nanosensors may be used to monitor vitalsigns and ease injuries while alsomonitoring environment hazards such astoxic gases. Wireless communication to acentral unit allows medics to conductremote triage of casualties to help themrespond more rapidly and safely.Monitoring in such scenarios is of hugebenefit by increasing the efficiency of theteam as a whole and also the safety of eachindividual. This technology may open up awide range of other markets where peopleare faced with hazardous activities, fromextreme sports through to transportationmaintenance and building workers.There are other applications extending pasthealthcare and human performance wherenanosensors have a part to play. Fashionand art have always had a strong overlap,and what better way to portray interactiveart than through the clothes we wear?  XSlabs have used wearable technologiesand sensors to focus on aesthetics,personal expression, and the idea of play.Designers such as Hussein Chalayan arebringing haute tech couture to the catwalksof Paris, with luminated fabrics andmechanical dresses. Clothes may be programmed to respond toour mood, physiology or environment. Thiscould be a heated glove which switches onwhen we are cold, a hat that tells us we aretoo tired to drive, or a shirt that lights upwhen we are excited. Aesthetics are animportant factor of what we wear andresponsive garments may be used as avisual expression of inner emotions,if that is what the wearer chooses.Therefore nanosensors have an importantcontribution to make, pushing theboundaries of creativity, and it is up tous individually to choose how we usethem in innovative ways.     So if we have a shirt to monitor ourdaily activities along with our fitnesslevel and general health, is it an intrusionof our existence?  It depends how the information is beingused. If personal data is being circulated ‘◊nanoFEATUREwithin a communications network, it is vitalto ensure that encryption and securitymethods are in place. Patient confidentialitymust be preserved and the users’ informedconsent must be given. As wearable sensors are integrated into thefield of e-health it is important to uphold thee-Health Code of Ethics. This policy “is toensure that people worldwide canconfidently and with full understanding ofknown risks realise the potential of theInternet in managing their own health andthe health of those in their care”. This musttherefore apply to all nanosensorapplications that relate to an individual’spersonal health. Another concern related to remote healthmonitoring is that virtual visits threaten toturn physicians and nurses into distantmedical technicians and technology maycut off the trust and close contact betweendoctor and patient. In recent years patients’perception of doctors has changed, andthey are no longer regarded as thepaternalistic figures they once were, butrather as a technician to health services.This must be weighed up against the veryconsiderable benefits of remote monitoringwith the added well-being of a patient beingtreated in their own home, rather than in ahospital or some other impersonal institution. Provided moral and ethical standards are inplace and that users are kept aware of theoperation of monitoring systems there is nodoubt that these tiny devices offer hugepotential in many areas of our lives, givingus access to the right information at theright time. One thing is certain, the current modelof healthcare delivery is unsustainable,and it is clear that delivery of healthservices must become increasinglydistributed, with more statusmonitoring happening locally, on anindividualised basis. Associated withthis is the realisation that we need totake more responsibility for our ownhealth, and systems need to assistpeople to remain independent to amuch greater degree than happensat present. The implementation ofthis vision depends critically ontechnologies like wearable sensing. µShirley Coyle and Dermot Diamond areresearchers at CLARITY: The centre forweb technologies bringing information tolife (see side panel)CLARITY, a Science Foundation Irelandfunded Centre for Science, Engineeringand Technology, has a mission to “BringInformation to Life”. This refers to theharvesting and harnessing of largevolumes of sensed information, fromboth the physical world in which we live,and the digital world of moderncommunications & computing. While thismay suggest a “Big Brother” type worldthe motivation of the research is tobenefit the citizen by improving theirquality of life through a new generation ofsmarter, more proactive, informationservices. One area of research isfocussing on functionalised fabrics usedto create “smart” clothing that canmonitor and respond to the wearer. Further reading1. Coyle, S., Y. Wu, K. Lau, D. De Rossi,G. Wallace, and D. Diamond, SmartNanotextiles: A Review of Materials andApplications. MRS Bulletin, 2007. 32(5).2. Troester, G., The Agenda of WearableHealthcare, in IMIA Yearbook of MedicalInformatics, R. Haux and C. Kulikowski,Editors. 2005, Schattauer: Stuttgart. p.125-138.3. www.un.org/esa/socdev/ageing/popageing.html” (accessed Sept. '08).4. Ramachandran, T., K. Rajendrakumar,and R. Rajendran, Antimicrobial Textiles -an Overview. Textile Engineering, 2004.84(2): p. 42-47.5. www.biotex-eu.com (accessedSept. 2008).6. www.proetex.org (accessed Sept '08).7. http://web.mit.edu/isn/aboutisn/index.html (accessed Sept. '08).8. www.xslabs.net/ (accessed Sept. '08).9. Rippen, H. and A. Risk, e-Health ethicscode. Journal of Medical InternetResearch, 2000. 2(1): p. e9.10. Kmietovicz, Z., R.E.S.P.E.C.T.—whydoctors are still getting enough of it. BritishMedical Journal, 2002. 5(324): p. 7328.040

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Nanosensors, big benefit or big brother

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