Sweat sensing technique for wearable device using infrared transparency

Abstract

Wearable devices that are worn on the hand and display information are rapidly becoming pervasive. However, acquiring and displaying a user's own data, such as the amount of sweat flowing and the required amount of water for a particular activity, on a wearable device remains difficult. We propose a technique that senses the amount of sweat flowing from the human body. The technique, which is implemented in a wearable device, utilizes infrared transparency via a sponge that can hold the sweat. We selected sponge as the material to hold the sweat because it enables repeated measurement of the amount of sweat flowing from the human body. Consequently, we also outline the development and testing of a prototype device that actualizes the proposed technique and discuss its efficacy and feasibility. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.