Continuous Monitoring of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Ear: The Development of a Headphone-Type Biosensor

In recent years, there has been growing interest in developing wearable biosensors that can measure volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the body. These compounds can provide valuable information about a person’s health status and can be used as biomarkers for various diseases. The ear is a potentially ideal location for monitoring VOCs because it provides a non-invasive way to measure VOCs continuously with less burden. The development of a headphone-type biosensor that can continuously measure VOCs emitted from the ear has been an area of active research. This type of wearable biosensor is designed to be worn like a regular headphone and can provide real-time measurements of VOCs in the ear canal. This chapter provides an overview of the development of a headphone-type biosensor that can continuously measure VOCs from external ears in real-time and discusses its potential applications in wearable biosensors. The chapter is organized as follows: Sect. 1 introduces the concept of VOCs and their importance in health monitoring. Section 2 shows existing technologies for detecting VOCs. Section 3 discusses the development of a headphone-type biosensor that can continuously measure VOCs emitted from the ear. Section 4 discusses the challenges and future directions of the headphone-type gas sensors. Finally, Sect. 5 provides the conclusion of the chapter.