The Air Force Research Laboratory working in conjunction with the University of Cincinnati has developed a sensor that “looks and wears like a high-tech Band-Aid” to track the body’s biomarkers. The sweat sensor prototype, which collects sweat that can be analyzed by a smartphone app, recently completed its first successful human trials at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, according to a March 11 Defense Department blog. Joshua Hagen, team lead with the 711th Human Performance Wing at AFRL, said the trial brings the sensor one step closer to real-world use. “There are many things you can hand-build in the lab and get to work, but if you can’t make it on a large scale, or if it’s going to be incredibly expensive, then it isn’t feasible,” said hagen. The Air Force and University of Cincinnati electrical engineering and computer systems professor Jason Heikenfeld teamed up five years ago “to research convenient ways to track airman biometric responses to disease, medication, injury, and other physical stresses,” according to the blog. The sensor, which also measures hydration levels and heat stress, could have an “immediate application to troop safety,” states the release.
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.