Project description
New wearable technology for mind and body
Millions of people today have a smartwatch that not only tells the time and reads their messages but also monitors calories, steps and sleep. In this context, the EU-funded BEWELL project will develop smart skin patch and wrist-device wearable electronics. The skin patch will help with reliable sensing during different levels of activity. The project identified commercially relevant future skin-patch products to be demonstrated. It has also identified a set of critical and versatile technologies that need to be developed for scalable manufacturing and integrated to realise these future products. Specifically, the project will develop an emotional wellbeing sensing skin patch (for stress and mental balance monitoring) and a wristband to track heart rate, particularly during sports.
Objective
BEWELL project is about developing integration and manufacturing technologies needed for smart skin patch and wrist-device wearable electronics sensing and actuating products. BEWELL project is also about demonstrating three different application use cases.
Wearable electronics belongs to new age consumer electronics together with smartphones, gaming consoles and laptop/tablet computers. Key development focuses of the new devices are better human-machine interfaces, improved connectivity, user-friendly form factors and convenience of use. Internet of things, connected living, quantified self and smart homes are identified as the driving trends of this evolution among which especially the quantified self is clearly driving the wearable electronics. Inside wearable electronics, wrist-worn devices have been the largest segment but body-worn and head-worn devices are expected to grow to similar sized segments.
Intimate skin contact is necessary for reliable sensing and actuation based on sensor results during different levels of activity of the users. Controllable skin contact would be a further improvement in sensing applications. The purpose can be to replace or supplement visual messaging. Therefore, skin patches and associated technologies to enhance the user-device interface also in other types of products such as the wrist-worn ones are of special importance. In BEWELL, we have identified commercially relevant future skin-patch products to be demonstrated. We have also identified a set of critical and versatile technologies that need to be developed for scalable manufacturing and integrated to realize these future products. In particular, the BEWELL project aims to unleash the potential of flexible and wearable electronics for physical and emotional wellbeing by advanced integrated technology components made in Europe.
Fields of science
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesinternet
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringinformation engineeringtelecommunicationsmobile phones
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringcontrol systemshome automation
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
02150 Espoo
Finland