A self-powered spiral droplet triboelectric sensor for real-time monitoring of patient infusion in nursing wards.

Monitoring of intravenous infusion together with an alarm system is significant for safety and automation operation in the process of clinical drug delivery for major medical institutions. However, there is still a lack of multifunctional sensors to monitor the whole infusion process, such as flow rate, drip rate, and temperature. Herein, we propose a self-powered droplet triboelectric sensor (SDTS) based on the principle of liquid-solid triboelectrification to monitor both intravenous infusion flow and infusion type. Such SDTS devices use two materials with different electrically charged properties to directly generate an electrical signal without any additional power supply, which is conducive to the formation of a large-scale detection system and for enhancing the convenience of medical treatment. The SDTS placed in a disposable infusion set has high potential application in clinical practice and is low cost and easy to prepare. Specifically, we demonstrate the feasibility of the detection of the current infusion flow rate and identification of the infusion medicine type according to the triboelectric signals, providing a new solution for real-time monitoring of patient infusion in nursing wards.