Noninvasive Continuous Glucose Monitoring Using Multimodal Near-Infrared, Temperature, and Pressure Signals on the Earlobe
This study investigates a noninvasive continuous glucose monitoring (NI-CGM) system optimized for earlobe application, leveraging the site’s anatomical advantages—absence of bone, muscle, and thick skin—for enhanced optical transmission. The system integrates multimodal sensing, combining near-infra...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Biosensors |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/15/7/406 |
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| author | Jongdeog Kim Bong Kyu Kim Mi-Ryong Park Hyoyoung Cho Chul Huh |
| author_facet | Jongdeog Kim Bong Kyu Kim Mi-Ryong Park Hyoyoung Cho Chul Huh |
| author_sort | Jongdeog Kim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study investigates a noninvasive continuous glucose monitoring (NI-CGM) system optimized for earlobe application, leveraging the site’s anatomical advantages—absence of bone, muscle, and thick skin—for enhanced optical transmission. The system integrates multimodal sensing, combining near-infrared (NIR) diffuse transmission with temperature and pressure sensors. A novel Multi-Wavelength Slope Efficiency Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (MW-SE-NIRS) method is introduced, enhancing noise robustness through the slope efficiency-based parameterization of NIR signal dynamics. By employing three NIR wavelengths with distinct scattering and absorption properties, the method improves glucose detection reliability, addressing tissue heterogeneity and physiological noise in noninvasive monitoring. To validate the feasibility, a pilot clinical trial enrolled five participants with normal or pre-diabetic glucose profiles. Continuous glucose data capturing pre- and postprandial variations were analyzed using a 1D convolutional neural network (Conv1D). For three subjects under stable physiological conditions, the model achieved 97.0% Clarke error grid (CEG) A-Zone accuracy and a mean absolute relative difference (MARD) of 5.2%. Across all participants, results showed 90.9% CEG A-Zone accuracy and a MARD of 8.4%, with performance variations linked to individual factors such as earlobe thickness variability and physical activity. These outcomes demonstrate the potential of the MW-SE-NIRS system for noninvasive glucose monitoring and highlight the importance of future work on personalized modeling, sensor optimization, and larger-scale clinical validation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bf74d29fbcd84d2aaffa8834e3147e90 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2079-6374 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Biosensors |
| spelling | doaj-art-bf74d29fbcd84d2aaffa8834e3147e902025-07-25T13:16:41ZengMDPI AGBiosensors2079-63742025-06-0115740610.3390/bios15070406Noninvasive Continuous Glucose Monitoring Using Multimodal Near-Infrared, Temperature, and Pressure Signals on the EarlobeJongdeog Kim0Bong Kyu Kim1Mi-Ryong Park2Hyoyoung Cho3Chul Huh4Digital Biomedical Research Division, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Daejeon 34129, Republic of KoreaDigital Biomedical Research Division, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Daejeon 34129, Republic of KoreaTerrestrial and Non-Terrestrial Integrated Telecommunications Research Laboratory, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Daejeon 34129, Republic of KoreaDigital Biomedical Research Division, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Daejeon 34129, Republic of KoreaDigital Biomedical Research Division, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Daejeon 34129, Republic of KoreaThis study investigates a noninvasive continuous glucose monitoring (NI-CGM) system optimized for earlobe application, leveraging the site’s anatomical advantages—absence of bone, muscle, and thick skin—for enhanced optical transmission. The system integrates multimodal sensing, combining near-infrared (NIR) diffuse transmission with temperature and pressure sensors. A novel Multi-Wavelength Slope Efficiency Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (MW-SE-NIRS) method is introduced, enhancing noise robustness through the slope efficiency-based parameterization of NIR signal dynamics. By employing three NIR wavelengths with distinct scattering and absorption properties, the method improves glucose detection reliability, addressing tissue heterogeneity and physiological noise in noninvasive monitoring. To validate the feasibility, a pilot clinical trial enrolled five participants with normal or pre-diabetic glucose profiles. Continuous glucose data capturing pre- and postprandial variations were analyzed using a 1D convolutional neural network (Conv1D). For three subjects under stable physiological conditions, the model achieved 97.0% Clarke error grid (CEG) A-Zone accuracy and a mean absolute relative difference (MARD) of 5.2%. Across all participants, results showed 90.9% CEG A-Zone accuracy and a MARD of 8.4%, with performance variations linked to individual factors such as earlobe thickness variability and physical activity. These outcomes demonstrate the potential of the MW-SE-NIRS system for noninvasive glucose monitoring and highlight the importance of future work on personalized modeling, sensor optimization, and larger-scale clinical validation.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/15/7/406noninvasivecontinuous glucose monitoringmultimodal signalsearlobenear-infrared spectroscopydiffused transmission |
| spellingShingle | Jongdeog Kim Bong Kyu Kim Mi-Ryong Park Hyoyoung Cho Chul Huh Noninvasive Continuous Glucose Monitoring Using Multimodal Near-Infrared, Temperature, and Pressure Signals on the Earlobe Biosensors noninvasive continuous glucose monitoring multimodal signals earlobe near-infrared spectroscopy diffused transmission |
| title | Noninvasive Continuous Glucose Monitoring Using Multimodal Near-Infrared, Temperature, and Pressure Signals on the Earlobe |
| title_full | Noninvasive Continuous Glucose Monitoring Using Multimodal Near-Infrared, Temperature, and Pressure Signals on the Earlobe |
| title_fullStr | Noninvasive Continuous Glucose Monitoring Using Multimodal Near-Infrared, Temperature, and Pressure Signals on the Earlobe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Noninvasive Continuous Glucose Monitoring Using Multimodal Near-Infrared, Temperature, and Pressure Signals on the Earlobe |
| title_short | Noninvasive Continuous Glucose Monitoring Using Multimodal Near-Infrared, Temperature, and Pressure Signals on the Earlobe |
| title_sort | noninvasive continuous glucose monitoring using multimodal near infrared temperature and pressure signals on the earlobe |
| topic | noninvasive continuous glucose monitoring multimodal signals earlobe near-infrared spectroscopy diffused transmission |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/15/7/406 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jongdeogkim noninvasivecontinuousglucosemonitoringusingmultimodalnearinfraredtemperatureandpressuresignalsontheearlobe AT bongkyukim noninvasivecontinuousglucosemonitoringusingmultimodalnearinfraredtemperatureandpressuresignalsontheearlobe AT miryongpark noninvasivecontinuousglucosemonitoringusingmultimodalnearinfraredtemperatureandpressuresignalsontheearlobe AT hyoyoungcho noninvasivecontinuousglucosemonitoringusingmultimodalnearinfraredtemperatureandpressuresignalsontheearlobe AT chulhuh noninvasivecontinuousglucosemonitoringusingmultimodalnearinfraredtemperatureandpressuresignalsontheearlobe |