The last year or so has seen a number of devices emerge that make medical diagnoses based upon an analysis of your breath. For instance, the SNIFFPHONE project that aimed to bring all manner of health analysis via your breath. It’s a breathalyzer device that when connected up to your smartphone will analyze your breath and be able to alert you to any number of possible diseases.
The Israeli led project works by using an array of micro and nano sensors that can analyze the breath as its exhaled and then communicate that information back to the smartphone for interpretation.
A team from the University of Surrey have developed a new airflow (spirometer) sensor that they’ve catchily called, a Sneezometer.
Catching a cold
The device is designed to measure the speed of your sneeze, and use this data to diagnose a range of respiratory conditions. The team believe that the device is twice as fast as currently available alternatives.
Spirometers are used to measure lung capacity and are a staple of respiratory diagnosis for conditions such as asthma and sleep apnoea (snoring). These devices are currently very expensive however and are cumbersome to use.
The Sneezometer provides an ultra-sensitive alternative. The patient is required to breath through the instrument, with the sensors able to detect any changes in the flow rate, which could be a sign of disease.
“Breathing disorders are highly prevalent in the developed and developing world, with one in twelve people in the UK currently receiving treatment for asthma. The diagnosis and monitoring of respiratory diseases is key to proper treatment and we have now developed a simple, low-cost and non-intrusive diagnostic solution that will make doctors lives easier across the world,” the researchers say.
The device is portable, accurate and highly sensitive, and what’s more, has been developed using 3D printing technology, with material printed around the internal electronics.
“Respiratory diseases are especially prevalent in developing cities such as Delhi and Beijing where air quality is a big concern. Air pollution was recently placed in the top ten health risks faced by human beings globally, with the World Health Organization linking air pollution to seven million premature deaths every year,” the team say, “The availability of an inexpensive and portable diagnostic device such as this will assist in such diseases being diagnosed, and treated at earlier stages.”
The device is currently being put through its paces at Kings College Hospital, London, where it is hoped it will help with the diagnosis of a range of respiratory diseases.
If the trial period proves successful, the team hope to put the device into clinical service by 2018. It’s a fascinating product, and you can find out more via the video below.
