Soft, all-in-one, nanomembrane wearable system for advancing neonatal health monitoring in Ethiopia
Lauren Zhou, Michele Joseph, Yoon Jae Lee, D.H. Sharath Yadav, Likhit K. Nayak, Julia Woodall, Jared Matthews, Ira Soltis, Firehiwot Markos Mekuria, Kullehe Haddis Yeshanew, Yonas Kebede Mamo, Abebaw Fekadu, Asrat G. Demtse, Rudolph L. Gleason, Woon‐Hong Yeo · npj Digital Medicine · 2025
The neonatal period is critical and stressful, particularly in low-resource settings where existing monitoring methods for newborns are sporadic and labor-intensive. There is a pressing need for an affordable, user-friendly device that offers continuous and effective monitoring. Here, we present a soft, all-in-one, wearable system designed for continuous wireless monitoring of neonatal health in low-resource settings. Developed using advanced packaging technologies, this system features a chest-mounted patch and a forehead-mounted pulse oximeter that transmit real-time data to a smartphone app. The integrated device measures clinical-grade parameters, including electrocardiograms, heart rate, respiration rate, temperature, and blood oxygen saturation, showing excellent correlation with hospital-grade tabletop devices and reduced motion artifacts. This pilot study demonstrates a significant improvement over current monitoring methods by providing continuous oversight, ensures critical events are not missed, and automates the process for enhanced neonatal care, resulting in 84% satisfaction by parents interested in using the system at home.