Big brother will follow your diet
The sticker on the tooth will measure the content of sugar, salt and alcohol in the food
Ksenia Malysheva, Naked Science
Real-time tracking of the composition of food and beverages entering the body can facilitate the work of doctors and simplify the conduct of clinical trials, but technically it is quite difficult. A miniature sensor developed by researchers from Tufts University (Massachusetts, USA) can help, which is attached directly to the tooth and wirelessly transmits data to a mobile device – a smartphone, tablet or laptop.
Photo: SilkLab, Tufts University
The finished prototype analyzes the chemical composition of food and beverages: it evaluates the content of glucose, table salt and ethyl alcohol. An article describing the device (Tseng et al., “Functional, RF-trilayer sensors for tooth-mounted, wireless monitoring of the oral cavity and food consumption”) is being prepared for publication in the journal Advanced Materials.
The "smart" sticker on the tooth is not the first device designed to track the intake of nutrients into the body. In 2014, it was proposed to do this with the help of acoustic sensors and an algorithm that recognizes the type and amount of food by the sound of chewing. Such a wearable device was supposed to take the form of an earphone; it did not come to bringing the device to market. There were also prototypes with chemical sensors, but they were cumbersome and required the replacement of reagents. The smart sticker differs from its predecessors in its compactness and a wider range of features.
The authors note that in the future the device can be supplemented with sensors for the presence of other compounds, such as vitamins, trace element salts and toxic substances, as well as sensors for temperature, acidity of the medium and other physiological indicators.
The dimensions of the "smart" sticker are 2x2 mm. The device is flat and flexible and adapts easily to the irregularities of the tooth enamel. Data transmission is not carried out continuously, but only on request: a small antenna built into the device receives a radio signal from the control device and gives the entire system the command to start analyzing.
The sensor consists of three layers: the central one works like a sponge and absorbs the analyzed substance; the two upper layers, which are square frames made of gold wire, receive and transmit radio signals. A change in the salt composition, sugar or ethanol content changes the conductivity of the central layer and, accordingly, the frequency and length of the wave emitted by the device; according to these changes, the algorithm on the mobile device determines which substances have come into contact with the sensor.
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