TRIBOELECTRIC SENSOR DESIGNED FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE MONITORING

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement control and monitoring the progression of PD, is crucial for effective management and treatment. Current wearable sensors for PD monitoring are bulky and uncomfortable due to battery dependence. Therefore, it is essential to seek out new alternatives for wearable sensing devices. This work introduces a wristwatch-like triboelectric sensor (WW-TES) inspired by automatic watches for PD tremor monitoring. The WW-TES features a free-standing mode with a stainless-steel oscillating plate and a surface-modified PTFE film housed in a 3D-printed PLA frame. The designed device is circular with a diameter of 34 mm, a height of 7 mm, and a side wall thickness of 2 mm, featuring a central platform for a metal oscillating plate and two contact points for. Key parameter of electrode distance was optimized to enhance the sensor's output signal and found that 5 mm distance produced the highest peak amplitude. The fabricated device was also tested by changing input frequency of mechanical vibration to observe the discriminant of electrical output signal. The results showed that this device could effectively respond to frequency changes, allowing differentiation of tremor severity through tracking the electrical output signal amplitude. Operating this device through activities of daily living (ADLs) such as pouring, eating and writing was also validated. The Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT) software was used to analyze the signal and confirmed the demonstration of varying signal amplitudes corresponding to tremor severity levels within the MDS-UPDRS Scale. It can be concluded WW-TES holds significant potential for enhancing PD monitoring technology, aiding in screening the disease and leading to more effective treatments and quality of life for patients.

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