How a new wearable sensor can track your health without even touching your skin

Your skin isn’t just glowing — it’s gassy.And now, science is sniffing it out.Researchers at Northwestern University have developed the world’s first contactless wearable device that can monitor your health by measuring gases naturally emitted and absorbed by the skin without ever touching it. “This technology has the potential to transform clinical care, particularly for vulnerable populations, including newborn babies, the elderly, patients with diabetes, and others with compromised skin,” said Dr.

Guillermo A.Ameer, a professor of biomedical engineering who co-led the study. Your skin isn’t just a barrier; it’s a two-way street between your body and the outside world.Every day, gases like carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) move in and out through the skin, which also protects you from irritants, toxins and allergens in the environment.The device developed by Northwestern researchers can monitor all that activity without even laying a finger on you, opening up a new window into skin health. The gadget is tiny — just two centimeters long and one-and-a-half wide — and loaded with sensors that pull in gas samples through a mini air chamber that hovers just above the skin without making contact. That’s a game-changer, since most wearable devices need to stick directly to the skin, which can be a challenge for people with fragile or damaged tissue.The data it gathers can provide insights into everything from wound healing and hydration levels to early signs of infection and even exposure to toxic chemicals. “For workers in potentially hazardous environments, it’s helpful to know how much of those hazardous species are entering the body through the skin,” said Dr.

John Rogers, a professor and researcher at Northwestern who co-led the study. One of the biggest perks of the compact wearable is that it would allow patients to manage their skin health at home, eliminating the need for bulky, traditi...