Redefining Vascular Monitoring: A Wearable with Force Sensor Resistors for Real-Time Pulse Wave Velocity Assessment

The rising average age in advanced economies is driving an increasingly urgent demand for technological solutions to monitor population health. Given that cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of mortality worldwide, the continuous assessment of cardiovascular function has become critically important. In this context, Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) analysis represents a valuable tool for cardiovascular evaluation. However, the widespread adoption of PWV monitoring remains limited by the absence of wearable devices suitable for continuous use. This work addresses this gap by developing a wearable PWV monitoring device based on Force Sensing Resistor (FSR) technology designed to ensure high wearability. This objective was achieved by creating a miniaturized Printed Circuit Board (PCB) integrating signal acquisition and conditioning circuitry and a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module for wireless data transmission. The data were analyzed by extracting the fiducial point, known as intersect tangent point (ITP), for the estimation of Pulse Transit Time (PTT) and the subsequent calculation of PWV. The system was validated on a cohort of 101 voluntary participants by comparing the PWV values obtained with the proposed device against those measured using the clinical gold standard, SphygmoCor. The results demonstrate a strong correlation between the two measurement systems, with a mean error close to zero (0.03 m/s) and a standard deviation of (1.03 m/s). These findings confirm the reliability and accuracy of the proposed solution in a clinical context.