Researchers at Purdue University have something new to offer to technology with the development of a low-cost skin patch that help athletes is it changes color to indicate different levels of hydration.
The palm-sized patch is made of filter paper that is laser-machined to create a radial array of strips and are laminated with a water-impermeable film which forms microchannels that have water-activated dye at one end. As the athlete gets sweatier, the strips are activated, changing from blue to red, providing identifiable levels of moisture loss.
“Hydration in humans is a delicate parameter,” Babak Ziaie, a professor of biomedical engineering and electrical and computer engineering at Purdue, said in a statement. “Even small deviations such as 2 percent from normal levels can affect a person’s cognitive and physical performance by more than 30 percent.”
Get The Latest Sports Tech News In Your Inbox!
This patch could be used by marathon runners, military personnel and others with need help with preventing dehydration.
“We have talked to many experts including marathon directors, the Ironman World Championship, Olympic triathlon athletes and many collegiate and professional coaches, athletes, race directors and EMTs to validate the need for this kind of product,” graduate student Vaibhav Jain said in a statement. “Also, two industrial companies have shown interest in our technology, and we are in talks with them.”
Compared to “conventional” methods for monitoring hydration — which are either invasive, require non-portable equipment or don’t give immediate results — the patch gives quick results and is considered user friendly, according to Ziaie.
The patch, which researchers have filed a patent application for, has been tested at a sweating rate of 90 microliters per hour over a square centimeter of skin and is estimated to be usable for 15 to 90 minutes.