# Battery-Free Health Wearables UCI Debuts a New Health Tracker That is Powered by Finger Tapping By Niko Pajkovic | Published 2022-07-28 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/uci References: [healthtechinsider](https://healthtechinsider.com/2022/07/27/this-new-health-monitoring-wearable-needs-no-battery/)  The [University of California](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/miniature-blood-pressure-monitors), Irvine (UCI) has developed a new [health wearable](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/whoop-50) that is completely battery-free and can [monitor patients' vital signs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/patient-monitoring-technology) in real-time. As of right now, the university has only launched a prototype of the new device but based on early trials, it appears the technology is a viable option for gathering key biometric data such as body temperature and blood pressure. Of course, what differentiates this device from mainstream wearables is that it does not require a battery or external power source to operate. Instead, the device can be powered in two main ways: through a connected device or, more interestingly, via finger tapping. “Imagine you’re out working in a remote location — anywhere, the desert on a mission, in the mountains hiking, or even a space station, for example — and you need to keep track of your health information on demand, or there’s an incident, and you need to monitor someone’s vital signs urgently and accurately…This self-powered and wireless device allows you to do that," said UCI researcher Rahim Esfandyar-Pour Image Credit: Shutterstock ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.6/10 - Popularity: 69% | Activity: 86% | Freshness: 12% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Gadgets](https://www.trendhunter.com/gadgets) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Battery-free Wearable Monitors:** Opportunities for developing new battery-free wearable health monitors that can track vital signs and biometric data in real-time and that have remote access capabilities. - **Kinetic-powered Health Trackers:** Opportunities for developing health trackers and wearables that can be powered by kinetic energy, such as finger tapping, eliminating the need for batteries and allowing for greater portability and mobility. - **Real-time Biometric Data Collection:** Opportunities for developing wearable devices that can monitor and gather real-time biometric data, even in remote locations and challenging environments, and that can transmit this data wirelessly for remote access and analysis. ### Who This Affects Most - **Wearable Technology:** Opportunities for developing and innovating new wearable technologies and devices that can collect and transmit vital sign and biometric data with greater accuracy, convenience, and portability. - **Healthcare:** Opportunities for integrating battery-free health wearables into healthcare systems, especially for remote health monitoring and patient care, and for developing new medical applications and analytics based on real-time biometric data. - **Military and Defense:** Opportunities for developing battery-free wearable health monitors for military and defense applications, such as monitoring the health of soldiers in challenging environments, and for providing real-time biometric data for tactical decision-making. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [User-Powered Health Trackers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bheart.md) - [Self-Charging Fitness Trackers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-mother-bracelet.md) - [Kinetic Power Health Wearables](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mother-bracelet.md) - [Blood Pressure-Measuring Wearables](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/health-monitoring-capability.md) - [Stretchable Sweat-Activated Yarn Batteries](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/yarn-battery.md) - [Belt-Based Wearable Sensors](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vital-belt.md) - [Elegant Health-Tracking Rings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ultrahuman-ring.md) - [Nicotine-Detecting Wearables](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/skinworn-sensor.md) - [Advanced Heart-Tracking Patches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ultrasound-patch.md)