FOR THE SICK WHO CAN'T SPEAK: The wearable fever alarm is for infants and some weak elderly people.
If you haven't been feeling up to par lately, but aren't quite at the point of being bedridden, researchers at the University of Tokyo might soon have a handy tool that lets you know when you're running a temperature.
It's an armband that constantly tracks your vital signs and gets its juice by capturing the sun's energy on its flexible, amorphous silicon solar panel.
The band could be of particular interest to caregivers of infants and the elderly who often have trouble communicating their symptoms.
Sensors are flexible for patient comfort, say the researchers, and the wireless band requires no extra maintenance.
The research team claims that being a solar-powered device, it's the first organic circuit that produces an audible alarm and it's the first organic circuit whose power supply also has organic components.
Their paper is to be presented this week at the 2015 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers International Solid State Circuits Conference in San Francisco.
TempTraq is a soft, adhesive patch that works similarly, monitoring body temperature for up to 24 hours and provides data on a corresponding app.
The single-use patch is said to be durable and claims to provide highly accurate readings of temperatures between 86 degrees F and 108.3 degrees F, which converts to 30 degrees C and 42.3 degrees C.
TempTraq is currently pending FDA pre-market review and is not available for sale; to receive notifications pertaining to its availability visit the temptraq.com website.
Another battery-less temperature tracker is the eSkin thermometer from VivaLnk, which delivers lightning fast readings in less than three seconds.
According to the company, a limited number of samples were offered for beta testing in January, so the product could be close to hitting the market for more info. — AFP/RelaxNews
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