Considered an early sign patient deterioration in several diseases, including sepsis and COVID-19, changes in breathing rates could potentially be measured by the team's device, which has been dubbed the Pneumorator.

The developers of the Pneumorator explain that it consists of multiple functional layers and operates by detecting frequency variations in the sensor caused by breathing. This reportedly enables precise detection of subtle changes related to chest expansion or lung composition. According to the team, the sensor is also effective even when not in direct contact with the skin.

“During breathing the chest moves and the lungs inflate and deflate, causing dielectric variation. These changes can then be detected by the sensor in our device, which is powered by batteries,” the team elaborated. “The ability to continuously measure respiration in this way gives us the potential to enable faster, more effective treatment, significantly enhancing patient outcomes and operational efficiency within the health service.”

The team expects to pair the Pneumorator with a dedicated smartphone or tablet app for use as an early warning system.

During testing of the device, the Pneumorator proved capable of continuously measuring the respiratory rate of wearers within an accuracy of two breaths per minute.

An article detailing the Pneumorator, "A Novel Wearable Sensor for Measuring Respiration Continuously and in Real Time," appears in the journal Sensors.