IBM’s fingernail sensor on the thumb of a test subject. (Image via IBM)
A group of scientists are focused on predicting the evolution of neurodegenerative diseases so that patients could receive treatments tailored to their needs. To achieve that these scientists are turning to wearable technology. It is not surprising given the progress of science and technology in recent years, especially the development of wearable technology for medical purposes. Even though there is a lot happening in that industry right now, the most common wearable technology is a smartwatch used mostly for fitness reasons. But, many other parts of the body can help evaluate our health or level of fitness. The latest findings are about how fingernails can help measure grip strength which in turn can reveal if that person is developing a neurodegenerative disease and the progression of the disease. The tool used for the measurement is a fingernail sensor created by two researchers from IBM: Stephen Heisig and Katsuyuki Sakuma.
Heisig and Sakuma discovered that no matter the movement of the hands, fingernails bend and move to facilitate the movement and that is an indicator of grip strength. In addition, there are nerves at the tip of fingers that collect sensorial data such as pressure, temperature or texture, which scientists can use to predict how well the fingers are interacting with objects. The medical profession also relies on grip strength to evaluate the effectiveness of medications given to Parkinson’s sufferers, the cognitive function of schizophrenics or those suffering from cardiovascular disease. That knowledge of fingers and fingernails coupled with machine learning models resulted in the new comer into the family of wearable technologies. According to Heisig and Sakuma, the best “customers” for the fingernail sensor are those in their later years because their bodies are more prone to infections that could result from them using another type of wearable tech.
The fingernail sensor is a system of sensors that measure the strain an object has on the finger. The sensors stick the nail through an adhesive. The sensors communicate the data they collect during the movements of the hands to a set of computers which are connected to a smartwatch linked to a smartphone via Bluetooth. There is also a microcontroller to which a wireless antenna is attached to facilitate the fast relay of information between all the parts of this system. The system also includes a silicone prosthesis, a coin battery and an accelerometer. The analysis of the data collected by the sensors is eventually transferred from the smartphone to some cloud-based machines which also serve as storage. So far, the system was able to perfectly identify the slowness of movement or bradykinesia, tremor and abnormalities in voluntary movement. In some test subjects, the sensors predicted with 94 percent accuracy the numbers they wrote on a piece of paper holding a pen.
Some might think that the research is not valuable or too far-fetched, but given that fingernails’ movement is so subtle that they can’t be observed with naked eyes, the technology deserves recognition. In fact, the sensors in the system are sensitive enough to capture the movement of a particle as small as 10 microns. It also means that fingernails and grip strength study are not the only area that could benefit from this technology. It is possible to use it to improve movements and gestures in patients who have lost the use of their fingers.
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