3D-printed magnetic-based air pressure sensor for continuous respiration monitoring and breathing rehabilitation

The rapid development of point-of-care testing has made prompt diagnosis, monitoring and treatment possible for many patients suffering from chronic respiratory diseases. Currently, the biggest challenge is further optimizing testing devices to facilitate more functionalities with higher efficiency and performance, along with specificity toward patient needs. By understanding that patients with chronic respiratory diseases may have difficulty breathing within a normal range, a respiration sensor is developed focusing on sensitivities in the lower air pressure range. In contrast to the simpler airflow data, the sensor can provide respiratory air pressure as an output using a magnetic-based pressure sensor. This unconventional but highly reliable approach, combined with the rest of the simple 3D-printed design of the sensor, offers a wide range of tunability and functionalities. Due to the detachable components of the respiration sensor, the device can be easily transformed into other respiratory uses such as an inspiratory muscle training device or modified to cater for higher-ranged deep breathing. Therefore, not only does it reach very low air pressure measurement (0.1 cmH2O) for normal, tidal breathing, but the sensor can also be manipulated to detect high levels of air pressure (up to 35 cmH2O for exhalation and 45 cmH2O for inhalation). With its excellent sensitivities (0.0456 mV/cmH2O for inhalation, -0.0940 mV/cmH2O for exhalation), impressive distinction between inhalation and exhalation, and fully reproducible and convenient design, we believe that this respiration sensor will pave the way for developing multimodal and multifunctional respiration sensors within the biomedical field.