MEMS pressure sensor array wearable for Traditional Chinese Medicine pulse-taking

Abstract

Advances in wireless microelectronics and low-cost sensor manufacturing have led to a variety of wearable technologies, with many wearable devices today being used for monitoring health and wellness. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a relatively unexplored area of interest as a type of ‘alternative medicine’. In this paper, we evaluated the suitability of a prototype system based on a 3-sensor array of 3 MEMS barometers for TCM pulse-taking applications: this included characterization of the sensitivity, thermal, and temporal response and its effectiveness in measuring pressure waveforms in a physiologic simulation with a graded-pressure fluid flowing through in an artery-mimicking phantom. Our results demonstrated that the prototype was adequate for such applications and confirmed the optimal specifications for the sensor casting rubber (5.7 mm thick) and design.