New ‘smart’ masks can be used to detect if you are sick

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Cheap new "smart" masks can monitor our breath for signs of illness.

The paper masks could also be used to monitor alcohol intake, say scientists.

A new study showed how state-of-the-art mask technology can be used to assess metabolic and respiratory conditions.

The new masks cost a little over $1 to produce, according to research published in the Science journal.

From watches to patches and other types of sensors, personalized wearable devices that monitor people's health - from heart activity to inflammation levels - are on the rise.

Now, a new type of wearable device can be added to the list: a high-tech paper mask that monitors breath.

Professor Wei Gao, of the California Institute of Technology, and his team developed the prototype for a smart mask that can be used to monitor several medical conditions - including respiratory ailments such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and COVID-19 infections.

Unlike other smart masks being developed that monitor physical changes such as the temperature, humidity, or rate of breath, the new one - called EBCare - can analyse the chemicals in a person's breath in real time.

Gao explained that "EBC" stands for "exhaled breath condensate." For example, the mask could monitor asthma patients for levels of nitrite, a chemical that indicates airway inflammation.

He said: "Monitoring a patient's breath is something that is routinely done, for example, to assess asthma and other respiratory conditions.

"However, this has required the patient to visit a clinic for sample collection, followed by a waiting period for lab results.

"Since COVID-19, people are wearing masks more.

"We can leverage this increased mask use for remote personalised monitoring to get real-time feedback about our own health in our home or office. For instance, we could use this information to assess how well a medical treatment may be working."

Gao has already developed a range of wearable biosensors that analyse human sweat to measure metabolites, nutrients, hormones, and protein levels.

His latest project was to monitor breath, which presented a new set of challenges.

To selectively analyze the chemicals or molecules in somebody's breath, Gao explained that it has to be first cooled and condensed into a liquid.

In clinical settings, the cooling step is done separately from the analysis. Moist breath samples are chilled on buckets of ice or bulky refrigerated coolers.

But Gao's new mask, in contrast, is self-cooling.

He says the breath is cooled by a passive cooling system that integrates hydrogel evaporative cooling with radiative cooling to effectively chill the breath on face masks.

Study lead author Wenzheng Heng, a graduate student at Caltech, said: "The mask represents a new paradigm for respiratory and metabolic disease management and precise medicine because we can easily get breath specimens and analyze the chemical molecules in breath in real-time through daily masks.

"The breath condensate contains soluble gases as well as non-volatile substances in the form of aerosols or droplets, such as metabolic substances, inflammatory indicators, and pathogens."

Once the breath has been converted into a liquid, a series of capillaries immediately transports the liquid to sensors for analysis.

Gao said: "We learned from plants how to transport the water.

"Plants use capillary forces to draw water upward from the ground."

The results of the analysis are then transmitted wirelessly to a personal phone, tablet, or computer.

Gao said: "The smart mask can be prepared at a relatively low cost.

"It is designed to cost only about one US dollar in materials."

The team tested the masks on patients with asthma or COPD.

They specifically monitored their breath for nitrite, a biomarker for inflammation in both conditions.

The results showed that the masks accurately detected the biomarker, indicating inflammation in the patient's airways.

The team also showed how the masks accurately detected blood alcohol levels in people, suggesting they could be used for on-site drink-drive checks or other forms of alcohol-consumption monitoring.

As for the comfort of the masks, participants in the study reported "favorable" experiences - even those with breathing problems.

Gao added: "These first studies are a proof of concept.

"We want to expand this technology to incorporate different markers related to various health conditions.

"This is a foundation for creating a mask that functions as a versatile general health–monitoring platform."