AI wearable devices that read sweat are poised to become the next breakthrough in personalized, needle-free health tracking.
They could transform preventative care by detecting early markers of disease and continuously tracking hormones, electrolytes and glucose, without needles or blood draws.
Published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis, the researchers said that combining sweat with artificial intelligence and advanced sensor technology could reshape the way we track our daily health and physiology.
In a recent study, researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) investigated how sweat could be used for real-time assessment of hormones, drug levels and other biomarkers, as well as for early identification of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Human sweat does more than cool us down during a workout or a stressful day. It carries a rich combination of biomarkers that advanced wearable devices can now track in real time.
For people who already use wearable devices like the Apple Watch to track heart rate, steps, or blood pressure, sweat analysis can give them better insight.
Co-author Dr Dayanne Bordin, an analytical chemist at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), explained that collecting sweat is painless, simple and non-invasive, making it an attractive alternative to blood or urine, especially for continuous real-time monitoring.
According to Dr. Bordin, “Anyone already interested in tracking their health using wearable devices like an Apple Watch (for example, their heart rate, step count, or blood pressure) would be interested in the information that sweat can provide.
“Sweat monitoring devices are already on the market, such as the Gatorade sweat patch, which is a single-use wearable sticker that is combined with an app to analyze sweat rate and sodium loss and provide personalized advice.
“We’re not far from a future where your wearable device can tell you when you have high levels of the stress hormone and, by monitoring this over time, whether you are at risk for chronic diseases.”
Modern artificial intelligence systems can now analyze very large data sets to connect subtle chemical signals in sweat to particular physiological conditions.
The authors note that the next big milestone will involve combining this analytical capability with compact, low-power devices that can send data securely.
Recent advances in areas such as microfluidics, stretchable electronics, and wireless communication have made it possible to build a new class of wearable sensors. These lightweight, flexible patches rest directly on the skin and continuously collect sweat samples.
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