Multi-Modal Respiratory Monitoring Using SENSIPLUS Chip Bioimpedance Measurements and Acoustic Sensors

Continuous respiratory monitoring is essential for the early detection and management of respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and sleep apnea. Traditional methods, including spirometry and polysomnography, remain the gold standard but present limitations such as high costs, invasiveness, and the requirement for trained personnel. This study proposes a multi-modal respiratory monitoring system integrating bioimpedance (BIOZ) and acoustic sensing for non-invasive, continuous, and real-time respiratory assessment. The system uses the SENSIPLUS microchip (developed by Sensichips s.r.l.) for bioimpedance measurements and a MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical System) microphone for capturing respiration sounds. The experimental validation was conducted by comparing these methods with a spirometer as the reference standard. Results demonstrated a strong correlation between the BIOZ and the acoustic-derived signals with spirometric data. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values with respect to a gold standard, for inspiration and expiration using bioimpedance were 0.174 s and 0.190 s, respectively, while the acoustic-based approach yielded RMSE values of 0.4136 s for inspiration and 0.2217 s for expiration. These findings highlight the feasibility of integrating bioimpedance and acoustic sensing for accurate and wearable respiratory monitoring, offering potential applications in telemedicine, personalized healthcare, remote patient monitoring, early disease detection, and smart healthcare solutions.