Smart facemask for wireless CO<sub>2</sub> monitoring.

Escobedo, P; Fernández-Ramos, M D; López-Ruiz, N; Moyano-Rodríguez, O; Martínez-Olmos, A; Pérez de Vargas-Sansalvador, I M; Carvajal, M A; Capitán-Vallvey, L F et al. · Nat Commun · 2022

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The use of facemasks by the general population is recommended worldwide to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Despite the evidence in favour of facemasks to reduce community transmission, there is also agreement on the potential adverse effects of their prolonged usage, mainly caused by CO<sub>2</sub> rebreathing. Herein we report the development of a sensing platform for gaseous CO<sub>2</sub> real-time determination inside FFP2 facemasks. The system consists of an opto-chemical sensor combined with a flexible, battery-less, near-field-enabled tag with resolution and limit of detection of 103 and 140 ppm respectively, and sensor lifetime of 8 h, which is comparable with recommended FFP2 facemask usage times. We include a custom smartphone application for wireless powering, data processing, alert management, results displaying and sharing. Through performance tests during daily activity and exercise monitoring, we demonstrate its utility for non-invasive, wearable health assessment and its potential applicability for preclinical research and diagnostics.

Medical subject headings