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Researchers at Stanford University made a breakthrough in a cortisol sensor. Until now, wearables can capture the temperature and heart rate of the user. In the future, they could also detect the level of cortisol in sweat and thus draw conclusions about the level of stress of the user.
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Cortisol a steroid hormone of the adrenal cortex and is released inter alia in the response to physiological stress. Long-term stress leads to an increase in cortisol above normal limits, especially in the morning, the normal daily rhythm, through which cortisol levels fluctuate, is maintained
The research group led by Alberto Salleo and Onur Parlak reports in the science journal Science Advances. developed a portable patch that can determine how much cortisol the user produces by examining sweat on the skin.
Cortisol poses a particular challenge for biosensors because these sensors detect the positive or negative charge of a molecule – and cortisol is free. The researchers have therefore developed a solution in which cortisol is only measured indirectly. Glued to the skin, the patch pbadively absorbs perspiration through the holes. Sweat accumulates in a tiny reservoir closed by the cortisol-sensitive membrane. Charged ions, such as sodium or potbadium, which also occur in sweat, pbad through the membrane unless they are blocked by cortisol. It is the accumulated charged ions that the sensor detects, not the cortisol itself.
The prototype was tested on several runners and compared to other test results to determine cortisol levels. Stanford researchers point out that there is still a lot to be done to miniaturize the device. Until such a sensor could be integrated into a smartwatch, the years would probably pbad.
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