UNIST develops low-power wearable patch that monitors heart health and detects hazardous gases

Researchers have developed a wearable adhesive patch capable of monitoring cardiovascular patients in real time for dangerous conditions such as hypertension and arrhythmia.

A joint team led by Kim Jae-jun, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), and Jeong Hun-eui, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, announced Tuesday that they had developed a chest-worn patch that simultaneously captures biometric data — including electrocardiogram readings and blood pressure — and detects nearby hazardous gases, enabling immediate identification of cardiovascular disease or abnormal conditions.

The patch uses an analog-computing-based on-chip AI circuit to analyze sensor data directly on the device, without transmitting raw readings to an external system. Processed results are sent via Bluetooth, allowing a single administrator to remotely monitor multiple patients at the same time. Because only the chip's lightweight diagnostic output is transmitted — rather than heavy raw data — communication dropouts and latency are minimized, and power consumption from wireless transmission is reduced.

A low-power circuit design that selectively activates the optical sensor also allows the patch to be worn for extended periods on a single charge. The optical sensor, which captures blood-flow data, is the device's largest power draw. By applying a low-power technique called RPT-PW — which switches the sensor on and off in sync with the electrocardiogram signal cycle — the team cut power consumption in that sensor unit by about 83 percent compared with conventional designs.

In testing, the patch diagnosed hypertension and arrhythmia with accuracy exceeding 90 percent, and achieved 92.46 percent accuracy in classifying mixtures of hazardous gases.

A microstructure technology applied to the adhesive surface allows the patch to stick firmly even to rough skin, while a directional-peel design lets it be removed cleanly without leaving residue.

"This research simultaneously addressed the power efficiency and functionality challenges of wearable monitoring devices that must be worn for extended periods," Kim said. "It lays the groundwork for precise cardiovascular management and environmental safety monitoring in everyday life outside the hospital."

The findings are scheduled for publication in the July issue of the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, an international peer-reviewed journal in the field of circuit design.

Meanwhile, Anvixlab Co., a startup co-founded by the research team, has licensed the technology and is working to commercialize a next-generation bioelectronics patch platform based on on-chip AI.