A new jewel in wearable technology emerges as researchers at the University of Washington unveil the Thermal Earring, a revolutionary wireless device with a temperature-detection capability.
The Thermal Earring
The Thermal Earring can continuously monitor a wearer's earlobe temperature, surpassing the performance of traditional smartwatches in detecting skin temperature during rest periods.
According to the research team, this innovation holds promise in various domains, including stress management, dietary tracking, physical activity monitoring, and even ovulation tracking. The smart earring has a similar size and weight to a small paperclip, but it boasts a remarkable 28-day battery life.
Equipped with two temperature sensors, one discreetly clipped to the wearer's earlobe and another dangling sensor for estimating room temperature, the device achieves a balance between functionality and aesthetic appeal.
Furthermore, users can personalize the earrings with fashionable designs made of resin or gemstones without compromising their accuracy or performance.
Co-lead author Qiuyue (Shirley) Xue, a doctoral student at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, expressed the motivation behind the project, highlighting the desire to bridge the gap between wearable technology and fashion.
"I also like to wear earrings, so we started thinking about what unique things we can get from the earlobe. We found that sensing the skin temperature on the lobe, instead of a hand or wrist, was much more accurate. It also gave us the option to have part of the sensor dangle to separate ambient room temperature from skin temperature," Xue said in a statement.
The development process posed several engineering challenges, particularly in achieving a compact yet energy-efficient design. Co-lead author Yujia (Nancy) Liu emphasized the importance of balancing power consumption and device size.
Through meticulous design and optimization, the researchers managed to incorporate essential components, including a Bluetooth chip, battery, and temperature sensors, while ensuring minimal energy usage.
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Bluetooth Advertising Mode
One notable feature of the Thermal Earring is its utilization of Bluetooth advertising mode. This power-saving mechanism enables the device to transmit temperature data efficiently without constantly pairing with external devices.
After transmitting data, the earring enters a low-power sleep mode, extending its battery life further. Beyond its immediate applications in temperature monitoring, the Thermal Earring holds promise in the realm of healthcare, particularly in continuous fever monitoring, according to the researchers.
"In medicine, we often monitor fevers to assess response to therapy-to see, for instance, if an antibiotic is working on an infection," said co-author Dr. Mastafa Springston, a clinical instructor at the Department of Emergency Medicine in the UW School of Medicine.
"Longer term monitoring is a way to increase the sensitivity of capturing fevers since they can rise and fall throughout the day," he added.
The research team's findings were published in Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies.
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