Towards a Chipless and Wireless Passive System for Real‐Time Encoding of the Bladder Volume. Issue 8 (16th June 2020) - Melloni, Filippo
Abstract: Neurogenic bladder and other lower urinary tract dysfunctions represent a significant health hazard and life‐quality impairment in individuals suffering from neurological disorders. A few implantable and wearable technologies have been proposed to partially recover bladder functionality, mostly based on resistive and capacitive strain gauges designed to be surgically placed inside the pelvic cavity. In this work, an alternative proof‐of‐concept device for monitoring the volumetric changes of the bladder is presented, where the sensing element is based on a capacitive linear encoder integrated with a passive wireless radio‐frequency resonator, which can be remotely interrogated. The sliding mechanism at the core of the proposed system allows a wide sensing range without stringent requirements on materials properties and overall device stability. Abstract : A volumetric sensing system based on a capacitive linear encoder is proposed for the real‐time and contactless monitoring of bladder volume. The presented proof‐of‐concept device provides quantized information across extended sensing ranges, while a flexible embedded radio‐frequency resonator allows remote sensing through muscle and fat tissues.