The MuSe project (Multi-Sensor wearable device for telemedicine) proposes an innovative approach to continuous and remote monitoring of patients' health status, particularly targeting the elderly.

Telemedicine represents a unique opportunity and a pervasive challenge in supporting active aging. Among the possibilities offered by new technologies and interdisciplinary research, wearable devices stand out as a unique tool for telemedicine due to their intrinsic ability to combine accurate feedback on a person’s health status with ease of use and comfort. Although various wearable devices have been proposed over the past decade, few have been specifically designed with elderly individuals as the end users.

In this context, MuSe addresses the design and development of an autonomous wearable device for monitoring hydration and health status in the elderly, leveraging a multi-sensor approach. In particular, the device will integrate bioimpedance electrodes, skin hydration sensors, and electrochemical sensors for ions and metabolites. These components will be miniaturized and easily integrated into a single wearable device (such as a bracelet or a patch). The design will prioritize portability, ease of use, measurement accuracy, robustness, and flexibility.

The project also proposes to define innovative architectures for Synchronized Measurement Units that can represent the state of the network with the highest possible data compression (phasors), while also enabling high granularity, depending on specific operating conditions. In other words, it aims to combine traditional Phasor Measurement Units with the more recent Waveform Measurement Units, which, however, generate a massive data flow.

The project will adopt an approach based on printed electrodes, interfaced with a portable multichannel front-end. Specifically, impedance spectroscopy will be used to quantify skin hydration, body composition, and to validate the volume of sweat samples. Each sensor will undergo laboratory characterization to evaluate its metrological properties. Following this, a portable front-end will be designed, integrating electronics for signal processing and wireless data transmission. In vivo tests will then be conducted, utilizing sweat sampling induced by physical exercise and natural perspiration.

All results will be compared with those obtained using certified instruments. The ultimate goal is to develop a low-power, stand-alone prototype device capable of sending real-time data to a remote cloud platform, which can issue alerts in case of critical conditions resulting from exceeding predefined thresholds for target analytes.