Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)

Department

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Committee Chair

Emil Jovanov

Committee Member

Aleksandar Milenkovic

Committee Member

Rhonda Gaede

Subject(s)

Wearable technology, Internet of things, Bioelectric impedance--Measurement, Hydration--Measurement, Embedded computer systems

Abstract

Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) is a convenient and highly accurate method for assessment of the internal composition of the body. It can be particularly used for evaluating the hydration level of an individual based on the amount of intracellular water (ICW) and extracellular water (ECW) in total body water (TBW). Complex impedance of the body is a function of frequency and amount of ICW and ECW. By injecting small currents at different frequency and measurement of complex impedance, we can assess the amount of ICW, ECW, and TBW. This method can be applied to Internet of Things (IoT), fitness, and clinical devices to facilitate health monitoring and provide warnings in the case of dehydration. This thesis demonstrates an implementation of a low-power embedded software for bioimpedance measurements that can be used for hydration monitoring. The prototype was developed in the form of a smart water bottle, a Texas Instruments AFE4300 integrated analog front end, a Teensy LC microcontroller, a Bluetooth module, and a Windows application for the control program. Measurements at 8, 16, 32, and 50 KHz are presented and some of the challenges and possible solutions for real-time system implementation are discussed. This work demonstrates the feasibility of real-time bioimpedance measurements for at home health and fitness monitoring and discusses possible improvements of the measurements and assessment of the hydration results.

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