Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
Smart electronic devices, known as wireless epidermal attachables, seamlessly adhere to human
skin, ensuring unrestricted movement for the user. The versatility of these wearables extends
beyond mere convenience, progressively expanding their applications as the technological
landscape evolves. A prevalent example in our everyday lives is the ubiquitous smartwatch,
doubling as a sophisticated activity tracker. Beyond consumer gadgets, wearable technology
seamlessly integrates into diverse domains, playing pivotal roles in navigation systems, advanced
textiles, and the ever-evolving healthcare sector.
Wireless epidermal attachable devices are smart electronic devices that can be worn on human
skin without interrupting or limiting the user’s movement. The applications of the wearable device
are varied and gradually grow as the field itself expands. The most commonly seen and widely
used in our daily life is a smartwatch that can be used as an activity tracker. Apart from commercial
devices, wearable technology is also being incorporated into other fields such as a navigation
system, an advanced textile, and a healthcare system. Especially in terms of healthcare, the concept
of the attachable devices has been more widely considered as a personalized health monitoring by
combining them with biosensors. Personalized healthcare helps both patients and healthcare
professionals to prevent detection, diagnosis, follow-up, and decision making by improving the
capability to predict health risks, to determine and quantify the dynamics of disease development,
and to target therapeutic approaches to the needs of the individual. However, it is by far one of the
most complicated areas, and that is why wearable technology has the potential to make such a
major impact. From the aspects of health, the most caring point is that the users feel comfortable
with the health services provided to them, which is a lacking point of current healthcare technology.
The wireless epidermal attachable devices are not only helping to break this barrier but also
providing a minimally invasive or completely non-invasive device which is less painful, free to
move and more suitable for daily life.
The concept of personalized healthcare, driven by these innovative devices, transcends the

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 2

traditional boundaries of detection, diagnosis, and treatment. By enhancing our ability to predict
health risks, quantify disease dynamics, and tailor therapeutic approaches to individual needs,
wearable technology emerges as a game-changer. The complexity of healthcare is met head-on by
these attachable devices, offering not only advanced monitoring capabilities but also a crucial
aspect often overlooked in current healthcare technology: user comfort.
One of the bottlenecks of wireless device technology is a battery due to it limits system lifetime,
increases system volume and unhandy maintenance but most of the power supply system of the
wireless devices are still depended on it. To solve the limitation of batteries, a wireless energy
harvesting system from the ambient energy source is introduced.
Taking innovation a step further, a battery-free approach is introduced to optimize the structure
of epidermal attachable devices. This approach not only reduces the device's volume but also
extends its lifetime. The integration of energy harvesting technology and noninvasive sensors
transforms these attachable devices into a wireless power system and a painless measuring system,
exemplified through the development of a wireless wearable device for diabetes monitoring, with
a focus on glucose sensing.
The device comprises two functional components: an optical power transfer system and an
electrochemical sensing module. The optical power transfer system accumulates power from
series-connected photovoltaic cells, intermittently supplying it to the electrochemical sensing
module. Within the electrochemical sensing module, an amperometric method is employed to
control oxidation voltage, measuring the faraday current from a noninvasive sensor.
Simultaneously, brightness and duration of light pulses from a light-emitting diode (LED) convey
current variations.
Results from experimental trials demonstrate the device's efficacy across a range of glucose
concentrations. This innovative approach not only showcases the successful integration of energy
harvesting and non-invasive sensing technologies but also highlights the potential for painless and
efficient health monitoring using wireless epidermal attachable devices.

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 3

CHAPTER 2
EXPLORATION OF PRIOR RESEARCH

2.1 Introduction
The pursuit of alternative power sources for small wireless devices has spurred the exploration
of energy transferring and harvesting technologies. This literature survey delves into the realm of
wearable and battery-free health monitoring devices, specifically focusing on the utilization of
optical energy transfer.
The discussion begins with an exploration of the advantages of optical power transfer,
emphasizing its remote capabilities and suitability for ultrasmall wireless devices. The proposed
CMOS-controlled optical power energy-harvesting platform is introduced as a groundbreaking
solution for supplying power to battery-free wireless devices. Unlike traditional voltage multiplier
circuits, the proposed circuit employs a "charge and operation" scheme, simplifying the circuitry
and making it more compact, aligning with the intermittent operations of health-monitoring
Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.
A comparative analysis is conducted with existing energy harvesting technologies, particularly
those applied in wireless sensor networks (WSN) for larger-scale applications such as industrial
process monitoring. The focus then shifts to the unique architecture of the proposed circuit, based
on large-scale integration (LSI), offering a smaller, more compact, and lighter weight device
tailored for medical applications. The survey also highlights the integration of current consumption
for data transmission, enhancing the versatility of the proposed circuit.
In the context of health monitoring, biosensors take centre stage, providing direct detection of
disease markers. The literature review identifies electrochemical sensors, particularly three-
electrode sensors, as pivotal for chemical activity monitoring in personalized health monitoring.
The selection of glucose as a target metabolite exemplifies the critical need for continuous
monitoring, especially in the management of diabetes.
The survey underscores the limitations of existing glucose monitoring technologies, primarily
relying on batteries for wearable or implantable devices. A novel approach is introduced, proposing

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 4

a battery-free attachable device for non-invasive glucose monitoring. This device, designed in a
band-aid-like structure, operates with optical energy transfer and is activated by a smartphone
flashlight. The comprehensive overview concludes with the potential impact of this innovation,
offering a painless and stress-free alternative for glucose monitoring, potentially revolutionizing
self-management and long-term health outcomes.

2.2 Review of Existing Studies

Energy transferring/ harvesting technologies have been considered as an alternative power

source for small wireless devices [1], [2]. These technologies mainly accumulate power from an
ambient energy source [3]– [5]. This usable ambient energy source has many forms, such as solar,
thermal, wind, and vibration [6], [7]. Compared with the electromagnetic power transfer used in
many wireless technologies, optical power transfer has the merits of remote power transfer and
applicability for ultrasmall wireless devices with dimensions of 1 mm or less [11]. Although the
typical voltage generated by a silicon solar cell is approximately 0.4 V, we can obtain sufficient
voltage using series-connected photovoltaic cells, or even ultrasmall photovoltaic cells to provide
“sufficient voltage and limited current”. In the past, we have proposed a CMOS controlled optical
power energy-harvesting platform for supplying power to battery-free wireless devices [11], [12].
The proposed circuit does not use a voltage multiplier circuit, such as a switched capacitor, but
instead, employ a “charge and operation” scheme. Therefore, the circuit is simpler and smaller
compared to complex circuits. This operation scheme also matches various types of health-
monitoring of internet-of-things (IoT) technologies with intermittent operations.
As the idea of utilizing energy harvesting technology has been widely spared for various
applications, there are published papers about the energy harvesting technology from ambient
power, including vibration energy, with the similar concept of accumulating power, monitoring,
and then switching for supplying the accumulated power [13], [14]. However, these devices aim
for the wireless sensor network (WSN), which is used for larger scales such as industrial process
monitoring, environment monitoring, and structural health monitoring. Compared to the medical
application, the energy harvesting sensor node in WSN requires a different time scale for
accumulating the powerless, and less concerns about device size. As the size does not significantly

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 5

impact the application, most of them use discrete components or IC packages to build the device.
In contrast, the architecture of our proposed circuit is large scale integration (LSI). The LSI-based
device provides a smaller, more compact, and lighter weight device, which is suitable for medical
application. In addition, this work presents the way to utilize the current consumption of the
designed circuit for data transmission, which will be explained in the following section.
For the health monitoring application, biosensors play an important role in this space providing
direct detection of disease markers. There are a variety of sensor types for personalized health
monitoring sensors that measure vital signs such as heart rate, bodily motion, and brain activity
but still lacking chemical activity monitoring. The most considerable chemical sensor in the area
of on-body sensing is an electrochemical sensor owing to its portability, simplicity, and low cost.
A wide range of electrochemical sensors has been developed for noninvasive measuring
electrolytes in biofluids such as sweat, tear, or saliva as an indicator of health status [15]– [18]. A
non-invasive electrochemical sensor measures the concentration of a target metabolite by oxidizing
or reducing the target metabolite at electrodes on the electrochemical sensor. From the
oxidation/reduction reaction, electrons are produced/reduced. The electron exchange creates a
current at the Bio/CMOS interface which has the opposite direction in oxidation and reduction.
The current from this reaction is called “Faraday current” as an example of glucose oxidation in
Fig. 1. The value of the faraday current depends on the target metabolite concentration. There are
such as two-, three- or four-electrode sensors. Among these types, we focus on a three-electrode
sensor. The three-electrode sensor consists of a working electrode (WE) which contains all the bio-
and nano-materials required by the biosensor such as an oxidase/reductase of a target metabolite,
a reference electrode (RE) which supplies a right potential to get the right reaction, and a counter
electrode (CE) which make it possible to measure the faraday current.
Among various target metabolites, we chose glucose as the target to set an example health
monitoring application. Glucose monitoring is very important for diabetes patients because they
require 24-hour management to control their blood glucose/sugar level. Since their pancreas cannot
release enough insulin to control the blood glucose level, their blood glucose level can be too high.
If they do not receive proper treatment by injecting insulin and leave the glucose level too high for
a long time, it can damage nerves, blood vessels, and lead to heart disease or other health problems.

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 6

To maintain their health condition, patients have to measure their glucose concentration levels by
a suitable device. A commonly used method for glucose detection is electrochemical glucose
sensing and mostly blood-based type. The most popular and conventional blood glucose
monitoring device is self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) meters. The SMBG uses a drop of
blood from finger pricking which is a well-known method for measuring blood glucose levels.
Figure pricking is the easiest method but has limitations for patients because of the pain,
inconvenience, and accompanying intense stress of repetitive blood collection, usually 3–4 times
per day. Therefore, a method for painless and stress-free glucose monitoring is highly desirable.
This need can be fulfilled by combining a minimally or a noninvasive electrochemical sensor for
glucose with a wireless epidermal attachable device. According to the pilot studies of transdermal
continuous glucose measurement in 2008, a noninvasive electrochemical sensor is possible to
monitor glucose concentration in blood with the help of ultrasound skin permeation methodology.
The performance of noninvasive glucose monitoring was also equivalent to the abrasion glucose
monitoring. The noninvasive method could facilitate strict blood glucose control, potentially
rendering safer self-management and improved long-term health benefits.
In fact, present wearable or implantable technologies for glucose auto-monitoring are still based
on batteries, which is limiting the system's autonomy. We have actually proposed a method of
powering wearable devices by exploiting the lighting by a mobile phone used as a query system to
the wearable. However, a full demonstration of the recovery of a sufficiently-large level of energy
to supply a real glucose detection on the skin was not yet provided. Therefore, in this paper, a
battery-free attachable device for noninvasive glucose monitoring is presented. The ideal structure
of the device is made by using glucose as an example of the target molecule. This device was
designed to easily attach to human skin like a band-aid and detect glucose concentration from
sweat. It is a battery free sticker-like glucose monitoring device’s application. The device operation
is simply started by using a smartphone flashlight as a light source of an optical power-transfer
system. Then, the power from the power-transfer system operates a measurement system and
detects a glucose concentration from sweat. The data display system receives the measured glucose
concentration and generates a data signal. This data signal can be collected and displayed by a
camera on the smartphone.

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 7

CHAPTER 3
BLOCK DIAGRAM OF PROPOSED SYSTEM

3.1 Idea Structure of Device

A Deeper Look at the Idea Structure (Fig. 3.1.1 A):
1. Bio-Interface Layer: This layer is in direct contact with the skin and comprises a sweat-
absorbing material. It facilitates the diffusion of glucose molecules from sweat into the
sensor.
2. Enzyme-Based Sensor: This layer contains enzymes specific to glucose. These enzymes
react with glucose molecules, triggering a cascade of reactions that ultimately generate an
electrical signal.
3. Microfluidic Channels: These channels guide the sweat containing dissolved glucose
molecules towards the sensor region.
4. Power-Transfer System: This system consists of a light-sensitive component that converts
the light from a smartphone flashlight into electrical energy. This energy powers the entire
device.
5. Measurement System: This system processes the electrical signal generated by the sensor
and converts it into a digital format.
6. Data Display System: This system receives the digital data from the measurement system
and generates a visual representation of the glucose concentration.
Conceptual Illustration of Application (Fig. 3.1.1 B):
1. Attaching the Device: The sticker-like device easily adheres to the skin, similar to a band-
aid.
2. Activating the Device: A smartphone flashlight is directed towards the device, activating
the power-transfer system and initiating the measurement process.
3. Glucose Detection: Sweat diffuses through the bio-interface layer and into the microfluidic
channels, carrying glucose molecules to the sensor.
4. Data Acquisition: The sensor reacts with the glucose, generating an electrical signal. The
measurement system processes this signal and transmits the data to the data display system.

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 8

5. Data Visualization: The data display system converts the digital data into a readable format,
displaying the current glucose concentration on the smartphone screen.
Benefits of the Battery-Free Device:
 Convenience: The sticker-like design offers ease of application and removal, enhancing
user comfort.
 Eliminates Battery Hassles: The device eliminates the need for battery replacements,
reducing maintenance and improving user experience.
 Non-invasive: The sweat-based approach avoids the need for needles or blood draws,
making the monitoring process painless and comfortable.

Fig. 3.1.1 (A) is an ideal side view structure and (B) is the conceptual operation of a battery-
free attachable device for noninvasive glucose sensors.

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 9

3.2 Block Diagram of the Proposed System

Fig.3.2.1 Block diagram of battery-free attachable health monitoring device.

The figure shows the block diagram of the proposed battery free health-monitoring device with
an optical power-transfer platform. The device has external serial-connected photodiodes, a
capacitor, a three-electrode electrochemical sensor, a LED, and a CMOS optical health-monitoring
chip. The CMOS chip is the main component to control the device power system and measuring
system. It consists of an optical power-transfer part and a functional part including a single-
potential amperometric measurement circuit and a PWM light pulse data display. Due to the
photodiodes, the device is simply powered by an external light source, such as the light-emitting
diode (LED) illuminator of a flashlight in smartphones. A photocurrent generated by photodiodes
is charged into a capacitor which is used as primary power storage. An optical power-transfer part
monitors the voltage of the capacitor VCAP and controls the operation. When the capacitor
accumulates enough power, the power-transfer system supplies the power to the functional part. In
the functional part, an amperometric measurement was used as the measurement method to work
with an electrochemical sensor. Then, we employed a pulse-width-modulated (PWM) light pulse
to transfer the measured value and displayed the value by using a LED.
The device is comprised of two integral components: an optical power-transfer module and a
functional segment housing a single-potential amperometric measurement circuit, coupled with a
Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) light pulse data display.

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 10

CHAPTER 4
PROPOSED PROTOTYPE

4.1 PROPOSED DESIGN

The device is comprised of two integral components: an optical power-transfer module and a
functional segment housing a single-potential amperometric measurement circuit, coupled with a
Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) light pulse data display.

4.1.1 Optical Power-Transfer Part

Fig. 4.1.1.1 Block diagram of optical power transfer part.

The power-transfer circuit stands as the backbone of the proposed device, ensuring reliable and
consistent operation despite the inherently variable nature of power generated through the
photovoltaic effect. Its importance lies in two key aspects:
1. Stabilized Power Delivery:
 The circuit's primary function is to convert the fluctuating light energy harvested from the
smartphone flashlight into a stable and regulated voltage. This stable voltage ensures
consistent operation of the critical measurement section, regardless of variations in light
intensity.

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 11

 This stabilization is crucial for accurate data acquisition and reliable glucose concentration
readings.
2. Enhanced Efficiency:
 The circuit optimizes the power transfer process, minimizing energy losses and maximizing
the utilization of harvested light energy. This ensures efficient operation of the device,
maximizing battery life and reducing the dependence on external power sources.
 This efficiency is particularly important for small-size devices, where energy constraints
can be a significant challenge.
In essence, the power-transfer circuit acts as the bridge between the light source and the
measurement system. By ensuring stable and efficient power delivery, it empowers the device to
function effectively and deliver reliable glucose monitoring data.

Fig. 4.1.1.2 MOS-level schematic of voltage-detector.

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 12

Fig. 4.1.1.1 shows the block diagram of the power-transfer circuit. The circuit consists of two
sets of external photodiodes, an external capacitor, a voltage detector, and a CMOS switch. The
two sets of photodiodes included one set of 10 series-connected photodiodes, called “main
photodiodes”, to obtain sufficient voltage for the circuit operation, and another set of six series-
connected photodiodes as a bias voltage source, called “bias photodiodes”, to control on-off
voltages and current limitation that are required for operation.
To control the supply voltage level (VON and VOFF levels), Vbn and Vbp voltages from the bias
circuit are crucial. Fig. 4.1.1.2 shows the schematic of the voltage detector, which has V bp as the
gate voltage of the first PMOS (Mp1) and Vbn as the gate voltage of the first NMOS (Mn1).
Moreover, VN,limit at a current-limiting transistor set (Mn4 and Mn5) and V P,limit at the gate voltage
of the fourth PMOS (Mp4) utilize for reducing the current consumption of the optical power-
transfer circuit.

Fig. 4.1.1.3 Simulated signals of optical power transfer part

The operation begins when emitting light to the photodiodes. The photodiodes convert light to
electrical power then charge the external capacitor with the current generated by the photovoltaic
effect. When the voltage at capacitor (𝑉 ) reaches 𝑉 , the voltage detector turns on a CMOS
switch and supplies power to the functional part, meaning the external capacitor is discharged.
After a discharge phase, when the capacitor voltage decreases to 𝑉 , the voltage detector turns
off the CMOS switch and stops supplying power. During the phase when no load is present, the
capacitor is recharged to repeat the operation, as shown in Fig. 4.1.1.3. Therefore, the supply power
signal is intermittent pulses with voltage decay. The pulse period starts with the turn-on threshold
voltage 𝑉 and terminates at the turn-off threshold voltage 𝑉 . Importantly, the pulse width is

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the discharge period of the capacitor which depends on the power consumption of the functional
part. As the supply voltage is almost constant, this means that the pulse width depends on the
current consumption of the functional part. This relationship between the pulse period and the
current consumption was employed for data-display in the functional part.
4.1.2 Functional Part
In the functional part, there is a measurement part connected with a noninvasive electrochemical
sensor and a data display part connected with a LED. For the measurement part, a three-electrode
amperometric measurement circuit, which is a common measurement method for the
electrochemical sensor, was chosen to control and collect measured data from the sensor. For the
data display part, we employed a pulse width-modulated (PWM) light pulse circuit to transfer the
measured value as shown in Fig. 4.1.2.1.

Fig. 4.1.2.1 Schematic of functional part.

Amperometric measurements typically require a constant power supply, which often
necessitates a voltage regulator circuit. While effective, this approach adds to the overall current
consumption of the device. To address this challenge, the proposed device implements a novel
strategy.
Instead of a continuous supply, the amperometric measurement circuit operates with a
temporary-varying operation voltage. This voltage is carefully controlled, utilizing the relationship
between the supply power pulse width and the current consumption of the functional components.
This allows for efficient data display without incurring unnecessary current overhead.

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 14

This approach offers several advantages:

 Reduced Power Consumption: By eliminating the need for a dedicated voltage regulator
circuit, the overall power consumption of the device is significantly reduced.
 Simplified Design: The temporary-varying voltage scheme requires fewer components,
leading to a more streamlined and compact device design.
 Flexibility: The relationship between pulse width and current allows for fine-tuning of the
data display process, ensuring accurate and reliable measurements.
For the specification of the amperometric measurement circuit, the three-electrode
electrochemical sensor requires a constant and correct potential between the working electrode
(WE) and the reference electrode (RE) to get the right reaction and maximum sensitivity of the
sensor. A feedback loop using a simple differential amplifier without cascade transistors was
introduced to fulfill the sensor requirement. In this work, the voltage between WE and RE (V WE−RE)
was kept at approximately 0.45 V which is a glucose oxidation voltage (V oxi) of this specific
sensor. Voxi is generated by micro photodiodes, similar to other bias voltages [11], [12]. At the right
Voxi value, a glucose oxidation reaction generates a faraday current (IF) based on a glucose
concentration.
The current flows from WE into the collection electrode (CE) and it is sent to the data display
part via current mirror transistors. In the data display part, we integrated the current mirror
transistors to copy the faraday current from CE and build up a new LED current to transmit the
measured value. Thus, the LED current is regulated to be proportional to the faraday current. The
ratio between LED current and faraday current depends on the ratio between the width of two
current mirror NMOSs (Mn6:Mn7 is 1:a). The LED also shares the power with the amperometric
measurement circuit. This means that the total current consumption of the functional part that flows
from the external capacitor (see Fig. 4.1.1.1) is
ITotal = IAM P + IF + IL E D = IAM P + (1 + a)IF (1)
As the amplifier is expected to operate only in the feedback loop to keep the operating point
within the designed condition and the amplifier current (IAMP) is expected to be nearly constant
during operation. Thus, the total current consumption (ITotal) depends on purely the faraday current
(IF). On the other hand, the optical power transfer circuit (voltage detector and switch) is configured

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 15

to provide the power pulse while VCAP is between VON and VOFF. Therefore, a single powering
pulse delivers a total charge of
QPulse = C×(VO N−V O F F ) (2)
Therefore, the pulse duration of a single pulse is TPulse = QPulse/ITotal (3)
Now that the total current consumption depends on the faraday current and C, V ON, VOFF, (1+a),
and IAMP value can be determined from design and/or calibrated parameters. Then, we can estimate
IF from TPulse based on (1) to (3). Moreover, since we design the LED to operate by the power pulse
from the optical power transfer circuit, the LED emitting pulse period equals the pulse duration of
a single pulse (Tpulse). For that reason, we also can estimate the faraday current from the duration
of the LED emitting pulse. Then, converts the faraday current back to the glucose concentration
from the sensor calibration.

Fig. 4.1.2.2 Circuit layout (A) and Photograph (B) of the CMOS chip in the battery-free
attachable non-invasive glucose-monitoring device operated by optical power-transfer.
To characterize the circuits and demonstrate the concept of the proposed battery-free health-
monitoring device with optical power-transfer platform, the designed CMOS chip was fabricated
by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) using a 0.35 µm two-poly, four-
metal standard CMOS process. The connecting pads and electrostatic dis chargers (ESD) at each
pad were included to connect with external components and protect the circuit. The finishing circuit
size is 67.15 x 50.35 µm2 and the whole chip size is 617 × 641 µm2. Figure 4.1.2.2 shows the layout
of the CMOS chip.

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 16

CHAPTER 5

FUNCTIONING OF THE SYSTEM

5.1 Intermittent Operation of Optical Power-Transfer

Fig.5.1.1 Switching characteristic of the optical power transfer circuit: Top graph is input
signal and bottom graph is output supply voltage signal.

A function generator was used as an input voltage (𝑉 ) instead of serially connected

photodiodes and capacitor for stability control/most accurate results in this experiment. In actual
applications, the initial stage of the capacitor voltage is zero, and increases its value by the current
from the photodiodes. Then, decrease the value by discharging to the functional part. To mimic
these characteristics of the capacitor voltage, a 0-4 V ramp voltage from the function generator
was chosen. The 0-4 V ramp voltage, DC voltage generators, two resistors, and a LED were used
as the input voltage, bias voltages, a glucose sensor, and a data display LED for analyzing the on-
off period of the optical power-transfer. If the optical power-transfer part works properly, the
CMOS switch is turned on when the input voltage reaches the voltage level (𝑉 ) and turned off
when the input voltage drops lower than the off voltage level (𝑉 ). Therefore, the output supply
voltage (𝑉 ) to the functional part occurs only when the switch turns on. Otherwise, the output

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 17

supply voltage has the same value as the input voltage if the optical power-transfer part is not
functioning. The result in Fig. 5.1.1 shows that the optical power-transfer part correctly intermittent
supplies power to the functional part as expected.

5.2 Completely Optical Power Operation of the Device

Fig.5.2.1 Optically driven operation of the attachable battery-free noninvasive glucose-

monitoring device.

The model of the battery-free health-monitoring device operated by optical power was
assembled for the device evaluation. The fabricated CMOS chip in Fig. 4.1.2.2 was connected with
two sets of 10 series connected discrete photodiodes as the input photodiodes and the bias
photodiodes to obtain sufficient voltage (approximately 4 V for each set). Furthermore, we
connected a discrete 4.7 µF capacitor and an external LED as a power accumulator and a data
display LED, as well as a commercial glucose biosensing strip as the noninvasive electrochemical
biosensor. This commercial glucose biosensing strip requires an oxidation voltage around 0.4 V.
In this experiment, we used glucose powder to prepare a glucose solution and dropped the solution
on the strip for testing glucose detecting as a substitute for sweat. The device was activated by
emitting light to both sets of the photodiodes and tracked its operation by an oscilloscope. The
graphs in Fig. 5.2.1 shows tracking signals of the input voltage at the capacitor (𝑉 ) and a voltage

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 18

at LED (𝑉 ). As shown in the 𝑉 graph, the device requires starting time about 2.5 seconds to
accumulate initial power. This starting time can be shorter by using a stronger light source and
conversely, it can be longer if the light intensity from the light source is weaker. After the starting
time, the glucose detection starts operation and shows the glucose concentration as the LED
emitting pulse as shown in the 𝑉 graph. In the 𝑉 graph, some noise occurs when the
functional part is not measuring the glucose. However, it does not affect the display part because
the display system focuses only when the LED is emitting and this noise has not enough voltage
to operate the LED.

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Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 19

CHAPTER 6

CONCLUSION
This work proposes a groundbreaking concept for a battery-free, attachable health monitoring
device powered by optical power transfer. This innovative technology offers a non-invasive
approach to detect and display target metabolites on a smartphone, presenting an exciting
alternative for personalized healthcare and overcoming limitations of existing devices.
The proposed device harvests light energy to operate an amperometric measurement circuit,
enabling detection of target metabolites from sweat. Using glucose as an example, the device
demonstrates its ability to function entirely on optical power and distinguish varying glucose
concentrations. While requiring an initial 2.5 seconds for setup, the device seamlessly operates
with artificial sweat, effectively detecting and differentiating glucose concentrations even beyond
real-life sweat levels. This sensitivity can be further improved by incorporating more advanced
electrochemical glucose sensors specifically designed for sweat analysis.
The versatility of this technology extends beyond glucose detection. By simply replacing the
electrochemical sensor and tailoring the oxidation voltage, the device can be readily adapted to
detect various biological and metabolic substances, opening doors to diverse applications. Athletes
can monitor lactate levels for personalized training programs, healthcare professionals can
diagnose metabolic disorders through ammonium detection, and alcohol consumption can be
monitored by tracking ethyl glucuronide.
Moving forward, the focus will be on developing a complete package for the battery-free,
attachable health monitoring device and applying it to a broader range of metabolites. This
groundbreaking technology has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by providing convenient,
non-invasive, and personalized health monitoring for all.

Christ College of Engineering, Irinjalakuda. Dept. of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Battery-Free Attachable Health-Monitoring Devices With Optical Energy Transfer 20

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Christ College of Engineering, Irinjalakuda. Dept. of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

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Christ College of Engineering, Irinjalakuda. Dept. of Electrical and Electronics Engineering