Tiny Fingernail Sensor Can Detect Progression of Serious Diseases

A person's grip strength is actually a very useful metric for multiple serious health issues and movement disorders, like Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and cardiovascular diseases. A team at IBM Research  has developed a wearable, wireless fingernail sensor prototype that continuously measures how a person's fingernail bends and moves, which indicates grip strength. Their system is made up of strain gauges attached to the fingernail and a small computer that samples strain values, collects accelerometer data, and communicates with a smart watch.