Sensor Within: Harnessing Human Biology for Sensing Applications

The natural signalling within the human and animal body elements include signalling among cells. This happens throughout the body by means of nanosize vesicles called exosomes vesicles (EV). These carry with them a wealth of information about the body and its organs status, including physiology and the onset of diseases, with demonstrated potentialities. Exploiting this may represent a consistent step beyond the parameters that currently can be tracked, or the order of ten (hearth rate, breath rate, pulse oximetry, muscle activity through EMG, motion through accelerometers, etc.), and may offer about 12 000 parameters to be followed within but also outside the clinical environment.

The proposed framework include non-invasive access to human body parameters and their envisaged access for personalised medicine services. Further, expected exploitation of the results and technologies include critical applications like novel bioauthentication exploiting the uniqueness of cell-originated traces (e.g. DNA), as well as visionary paths like bio-Internet of things up to social interaction including arts.

In a nutshell, the life status is measured by living “sensors”, hence “Life is measured with life”.

Strategic research project of the University of Oulu

Focus institute: Infotech Oulu

Faculty: Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (ITEE)