Researchers at UNSW Sydney have developed a lightweight wearable sensor that could one day allow patients with heart and breathing conditions to be monitored continuously at home, potentially supporting earlier detection of health issues and reducing the need for hospital visits.
The flexible patch, called AusculPatch, is designed to attach to the chest or over peripheral arteries using medical adhesive tape. It captures subtle mechanical vibrations produced by the heart, lungs and blood flow, offering a continuous stream of physiological data outside clinical settings. The proof-of-concept study has been published in Nature Communications.
Lead researcher Scientia Associate Professor Hoang-Phuong Phan said the aim is to create a patient-operated alternative to the traditional stethoscope.
“What we have developed is a tiny wearable device that can attach onto the human chest and hear heart sound and respiration,” A/Prof. Phan said. “Technically, it aims to replace the stethoscope, which is normally used in clinic centres to assess cardiovascular or respiration disease.”
The research team said the technology is intended to address challenges in managing chronic heart and respiratory conditions, which often rely on brief clinical assessments. A/Prof. Phan noted access barriers for some patients, particularly those in remote areas.
“Normally, when patients are assessed by a doctor, they have to go to a clinic centre, and it’s not very convenient for those who live in remote areas,” he said. “Sometimes people are hesitant to go to hospital, so they wait until symptoms are clearly developed.”
Medical co-author Dr Anthony Sunjaya said short consultations can limit detection of abnormalities. “When they go to a clinic, patients often only have a 15-minute window for assessment,” he said. “The danger is that the abnormalities experienced will not be fully recognised during that short period of time they are being seen.”
The device weighs 3.2 grams and measures about 20x47x3 millimetres. At its core is an ultra-thin silicon sensing element that detects vibrations transmitted through the body. First author Tran Bach Dang said the system is designed to capture these signals directly from physiological movement. “What the patch is doing is picking up that vibration,” he said, describing how heart-generated acoustic pressure travels through tissue to the sensor.
Unlike conventional microphones, the patch is engineered to detect low-frequency signals and reduce interference from environmental noise. “The sensor element is designed to shield the sound coming from one direction, typically from the human body,” Dang said. “In that way, it is less susceptible to ambient sound.”
Researchers said early testing showed the device could continue recording clear heart and breathing signals even in noisy environments and during everyday activities such as walking or climbing stairs. In laboratory comparisons, results aligned with established clinical tools including ECGs, ultrasound and blood pressure monitors.
Associate Lecturer Dr Chi Cong Nguyen said continuous data collection could also support automated analysis. “We can potentially apply machine learning to identify abnormal signal and warn the patients, and also notify their doctor,” he said. “The goal is to create a system that can automatically flag concerning changes before patients experience severe symptoms.”
Beyond heart and lung monitoring, early experiments also showed the patch could detect vocal cord vibrations, with proof-of-concept demonstrations including word recognition and robotic arm control. Researchers say this could have longer-term applications for people with speech or mobility impairments.
The team, which includes researchers and clinicians from UNSW Sydney and external partners, plans to begin larger clinical studies involving around 200 patients, followed by expanded trials of up to 1,000 participants. While clinical approval remains several years away, the researchers estimate potential deployment within four to five years, with simpler consumer wellness versions possibly available sooner.
