HydroTrack: Spectroscopic Analysis Prototype Enabling Real-Time Hydration Monitoring in Wearables

TL;DR

HydroTrack is a novel 18-channel spectroscopic sensor embedded in a smartwatch that enables real-time, non-invasive hydration monitoring with high accuracy, advancing wearable health tracking technology.

Contribution

The paper introduces HydroTrack, a new hardware and analysis system for real-time hydration monitoring in wearables, filling a gap in non-invasive health assessment tools.

Findings

Achieved 95% accuracy in hydration level detection

Validated prototype on six participants during exercise

Demonstrated effective edge signal processing techniques

Abstract

In the rapidly growing field of wearable technology, optical devices are emerging as a significant innovation, offering non-invasive methods for analyzing skin and underlying tissue properties. Despite their promise, progress has been slowed by a lack of specialized prototypes and advanced analysis techniques. Addressing this gap, our study introduces, HydroTrack, an 18-channel spectroscopy sensor, ingeniously embedded in a smart-watch. Accompanying this hardware, we present signal processing and data analysis techniques implemented at the edge, designed to maximize the utility of our system in comprehensive health tracking. A pivotal application of our device is the real-time assessment of hydration levels in physically active individuals. We validated our prototype and analytical approach through experiments on six participants, focusing on hydration dynamics during physical exercises. Our findings reveal an accuracy of avg. 95% in determining hydration states.