There are wearables measuring every aspect of our bodies, but lung capacity is more esoteric than most. That’s the reason why Respira Labs has introduced a brand new wearable Sylvee which continuously measures lung function. It’s perfect for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma patients, as well as other people who may have temporarily reduced lung function. A certain pandemic as COVID-19 that affects lung function springs to mind, in particular. Dr. Maria Artunduaga, Respira Lab’s founder and CEO, explained:

“Well-established science shows that air trapping can be measured with more than 90% accuracy using low-frequency sound. There is a clear difference in the acoustic resonance spectra of COPD patients versus healthy controls. Our goal is to flag abnormalities early, enable earlier treatment at home and empower patients to manage their own health.”

Sylvee is a product that’s worn at the lower part of the rib cage. It  promises to easily and continuously assess lung function without having to blow into anything. The wearable patch has embedded speakers and microphones that measure changes in acoustic resonance. The company claims that this is a good proxy for changes in lung air volume — which is the basis of pulmonary function testing.