CleveMed Blogs

Last week, I wrote about the new GSR sensor that will expand BioRadio’s applications, and now it’s time to discuss, yet another new accessory that CleveMed is offering for the BioRadio: the skin temperature sensor.

In 1833 Michael Faraday noticed the resistance of silver sulfide decreased dramatically as temperature increased. This was the first documented observation of a compound that could be used as a thermistor. However, thermistors were difficult to produce and therefore commercial production did not begin until the 1930s with the technology vastly improving since then. The second new accessory integrated into the BioRadio is a skin/surface probe that can detect temperatures in the range of 70°F through 110°F. This probe, which is a thermistor, derives measurements based on a resistor whose resistance varies with changing temperature.

Thermistors can be used in a variety of applications relating to skin temperature measurements. First, it could be used to monitor dangerous physiological reactions, such as heat stroke in applications such as athletics and emergency workers. Next, thermistors could be used in a research setting involving the skin temperature of first responders, such as firefighters. If a new or improved material is developed for safety gear, the thermistor could be used to demonstrate the gear’s efficacy at shielding firefighters from heat. Similarly, thermistors could be used in the military to examine potential safety gear for personnel who are fighting in a war. Thermistors could also be used in sports medicine measurements, such as exploring the body’s ability to thermoregulate while performing a variety of strenuous activities for an extended period of time. Additionally, similar strategic experimental sensor placements could be executed in order to determine if and how certain behaviors, experiences, and actions affect body temperature. Such findings could provide a deeper understanding of mental and physiological processes that could ultimately be used for a variety of therapeutic and pharmacological interventions.

This post is an adaptation from “New GSR & Skin Temp Sensors Expand BioRadio Applications” as seen in BioRadio Research & Education Quarterly, Summer 2010.

CleveMed will soon be offering two new accessories for the BioRadio — galvanic skin response (GSR) and skin temperature sensors. These accessories further expand the possibilities of the BioRadio for research and educational applications. Ranging from psychology-related fields, in exploring connections between behavior and emotion, to sports medicine fields, in exploring the correlations between exercise and physiological response, these new accessories can provide valuable information for a broad range of applications. (This week, I will be writing about the new GSR sensor, and we’ll discuss the skin temperature sensor next week.)

In ancient China, a suspect would hold rice in the mouth during a prosecutor’s speech. If at the end the suspect could not successfully spit out all the rice, they were considered guilty. It was believed a lack of salivation was attributed to anxiety and therefore guilt. With today’s technology, there is no need for rice! Biomedical sensors can measure skin conductivity from the fingers and/or palms to provide a modern mechanism to measure emotions. The GSR sensor is highly sensitive to emotions in some people and can be used as a polygraph, or lie detector test. GSR has also been used as an index for those who need some measurable parameter of a person’s internal “state”. Physiologically, GSR quantifies sweat gland activity and changes in the sympathetic nervous system. Measured from the palm or fingertips, there are changes in relative conductance of a small electrical current between the electrodes. The activity of sweat glands in response to sympathetic nervous stimulation (increased sympathetic activation) results in an increase in conductance. There is a relationship between sympathetic activity and emotional arousal, although one cannot identify the specific emotion being elicited. Fear, anger, startle response, orienting response and sexual feelings are all among emotions which may produce similar GSR responses. This new accessory offers research labs and schools a new interface to use to provide insightful information about emotional response in a variety of applications.

This post is an adaptation from “New GSR & Skin Temp Sensors Expand BioRadio Applications” as seen in BioRadio Research & Education Quarterly, Summer 2010.