Stretchable triboelectric sensor for measurement of the forearm muscles movements and fingers motion for Parkinson's disease assessment and assisting technologies

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative, neurological disease that causes motor dysfunctions on the patient. Currently, the symptoms and progression of the disease are assessed by physicians who diagnose through careful observation, according to the Movement Disorder Society (MDS)-sponsored Revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). In this manuscript, we report a portable sensor device based on a flexible Triboelectric Nanogenerator (TENG) formed from a dielectric material with a size of 4 cm × 3.5 cm and an aluminium (Al) electrode with dimensions of 2 mm × 3 mm, to monitor the movement of forearm muscles and tendons. When the hand or fingers extend or flex, the short gap between the dielectric polymer and the small conductor changes, generating a voltage due to triboelectric contact. The device is used to assess localized bradykinesia and rigidity of fingers and hands, as well as wrist and arm tremors. The voltage signal of the proposed sensor shows different waveform shapes, time duration and amplitude for each level of classification from 'normal' to 'moderate' status, described on the MDS-UPDRS examination of hand movement, finger tapping and pronation-supination movement. Hence, we demonstrated that the proposed sensor can potentially be used for quantification of the symptoms and diagnosing. In addition, single finger motion tracking is also achieved by placing the triboelectric sensor in different positions around the forearm, close to the tendon connected to the finger under test. This way we avoid the placement of the sensor directly on the fingers, improving comfortability and long-term wearability. The presented TENG sensor is fully integrated with the processing and the transmission board exploring new opportunities for triboelectric transducers in small motion detection of muscles. The future aim of this research is to provide real-time monitoring of the disease progression as feedback for personalized treatment of the PD patients.

Emerging Bio‐Interfacing Wearable Devices for Signal Monitoring: Overview of the Mechanisms and Diverse Sensor Designs to Target Distinct Physiological Bio‐Parameters

“…[212] For instance, since Parkinson's disease causes autonomic dysfunction, it is possible to diagnose it by detecting human motion with wearable physical sensors. [213] Real-time monitoring of physical biosignals without being separated from the human body is necessary in order to detect human movement and use that information to diagnose diseases. However, it is challenging to fix the sensor to the body since the human body moves constantly, and secretions, such as perspiration, are produced continuously.…”

Adaptive Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Long-Term Self-Treatment: A Review

“…The individual needs of different patients can be met by changing the appearance structure. At the same time, Yuce et al developed a self-powered TENG for diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease [ 65 ]. This nanogenerator was made of flexible materials, and through customization was able to meet the need for patients to be able to wear it for a long time.…”

Triboelectric Effect Enabled Self-Powered, Point-of-Care Diagnostics: Opportunities for Developing ASSURED and REASSURED Devices

“…Further work by Anaya et al [ 103 ] has shown the development of a portable TENG-based sensor to monitor the movement of forearm muscles and tendons for people suffering from Parkinson’s disease. When the hand or fingers extend or flex, the gap between the dielectric polymer (Ecoflex™, 4 × 3.5 cm) and the conductor (Aluminum, 2 × 3 cm) deposited on a PCB changes, generating a voltage due to triboelectric contact.…”