麻豆淫院

A research team has co-developed a nanomaterial-based 'wireless multi-sensing platform' for the early detection of pressure injuries, which have a high prevalence among individuals with limited mobility, including the elderly and people with disabilities. The team's findings are published in .

Pressure injuries are among the most painful conditions affecting elderly and disabled individuals in long-term care and rehabilitation facilities. They result from sustained pressure that damages skin tissue, making regular repositioning and meticulous hygiene care essential.

For patients with limited mobility, in particular, contact with bio-contaminants such as urine and feces can further irritate the damaged skin and worsen the injuries. However, in hospital settings, a shortage of caregivers or staff makes real-time monitoring of patients' conditions extremely challenging.

Currently, sensors can be attached to patients' skin, but most are single devices that measure only pressure. Furthermore, reliance on small-capacity batteries or wired power has posed significant challenges for practical use in hospital settings.

To address these problems, a team, led by Dr. Myungwoo Choi at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI), in collaboration with Dr. Donghwi Cho at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) and Prof. Yong Suk Oh at Changwon National University (CWNU), developed a sensing platform capable of detecting multiple physiological signals, including pressure, temperature, and NH鈧� gas (ammonia) while operating conveniently via wireless power transfer.

The technology utilizes a nanomaterial called copper sulfide (CuS), which has excellent antibacterial and sterilizing properties.

It not only selectively detects NH鈧� gas emitted from bio-contaminants such as urine and feces, but also helps prevent skin infections and improve hygiene.

Dr. Choi's team maximized the sensor's efficiency by engineering the surface of CuS into a three-dimensional porous structure, allowing it to rapidly detect NH鈧� gas even from small amounts of trace bio-contaminants which are difficult to see with the naked eye.

Another advantage of this technology is its strong cost competitiveness compared to conventional expensive sensors.

In collaboration with the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, the research team successfully mass-produced copper sulfide at a low cost by simply immersing commercial copper form (Cu foam) in a sulfur (S) solution. This simple method lowered the unit cost of the sensor material by more than 17 times compared to existing methods.

In addition, in partnership with Changwon National University, the team applied a wireless power transfer method in which the sensor operates by receiving power from nearby devices such as smartphones or NFC readers.

To wirelessly measure various bio-signals, the researchers meticulously designed the physical and electrical structures of each sensor to minimize interference between signals caused by changes in pressure and gas. They also independently developed the circuit design and wireless communication algorithms, allowing for clear and stable signal acquisition.

As a result, the sensor can automatically monitor the patient's condition simply by being attached to the skin without relying on limited-capacity batteries or long wires.

Lastly, the research team demonstrated the clinical feasibility of the technology by attaching the sensors to five patients, including hemiplegic patients, with the cooperation of Gimhae Hansol Rehabilitation & Convalescent Hospital.

In the hospital setting, nurses and caregivers were able to monitor the patients' skin conditions in real time using smart phones, laptops, or tablets, facilitating the early prevention of pressure injuries and substantially improving work efficiency in patient care.

Dr. Choi said, "We have developed a highly efficient material that can selectively detect ammonia among gases emitted from the human body at room temperature without an external energy source, and this marks the world's first application of such a material in a wireless sensor platform."

He added, "It is a truly meaningful example of successful collaboration among academia, research institutes, and hospitals."

The team plans to expand its diagnostic capabilities beyond pressure injuries to include skin moisture, pH levels, and lactic acid concentration. The institute also aims to continue its R&D efforts to enable the wireless sensor platform to be widely used in chronic wound management, early infection detection, and rehabilitation care.

Furthermore, the team seeks to advance the technology into a smart health care platform that engages both the medical and industrial sectors by developing AI-based disease risk prediction and automatic alert systems, and by linking hospital cloud networks and home-care systems.