A Wearable Bioimpedance Chest Patch for Real-Time Ambulatory Respiratory Monitoring

Objective:
This paper aims to introduce a wearable solution and a low-complexity algorithm for real-time continuous ambulatory respiratory monitoring.
Methods:
A wearable chest patch is designed using a bioimpedance (BioZ) sensor to measure the changes in chest impedance caused by breathing. Besides, a medical-grade infrared temperature sensor is utilized to monitor body temperature. The computing algorithm implemented on the patch enables computation of breath-by-breath respiratory rate and chest temperature in real-time. Two wireless communication protocols are included in the system, namely Bluetooth and Long Range (LoRa), which enable both short-range and long-range data transmission.
Results:
The breathing rate measured in static (i.e., standing, sitting, supine, and lateral lying) and dynamic (i.e., walking, running, and cycling) positions by our device yielded an accuracy of more than 97.8% and 98.5% relative to the ground truth, respectively. Additionally, the device’s performance is evaluated in real-world scenarios both indoors and outdoors.
Conclusion:
The proposed system is capable of measuring breathing rate throughout a variety of daily activities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first BioZ-based wearable patch capable of detecting breath-by-breath respiratory rate in real-time remotely under unrestricted ambulatory conditions.
Significance:
This study establishes a strategy for continuous respiratory monitoring that could aid in the early detection of cardiopulmonary disorders in everyday life.