Development Of Wearable Hyperthermia Device For Sports Injury Application

A person experiences hyperthermia when their body temperature increases abnormally. Hyperthermia is a temperature above 38.3ºC, which is the upper limit of the average human body temperature. Other heat-related illnesses include heat exhaustion, heat stroke, heat rash, heat cramps, and heat syncope. By converting cancer cells into necrotic cells through denaturation, hyperthermia is a well-known alternative treatment for cancer. In recent years, this hyperthermia treatment has expanded beyond just cancer cases to include applications for lipolysis and sports injuries. Therefore, the importance of hyperthermia for sports injuries, particularly those caused by muscle cramps, is highlighted in this study. The heating pad cannot deliver the necessary uniform heat, and it is challenging to control the focal position's proximity to the treated muscle based on the current products that are on the market. Hence, in this project, a wearable heating device, Sports Injury Heating Applicator Therapy (SIHAT), is developed. SIHAT utilises Thermoelectric Peltier as the heating element. The Thermoelectric Peltier is integrated with Arduino Uno, IRF540N MOSFET and LM35 temperature sensor. This project is carried out and tested on 10 university-level athletes to test the effectiveness of the device. Findings found that the device is fairly comfortable and effective. The heat distribution of the device is tested and analysed by performing an experiment. The experiment tests the heating temperature if the device in different positions. The result shows that the heat is distributed homogeneously. The Arduino Uno's main function is to control the temperature of the device. The LM35 sensor will send a signal to the Arduino, and the Arduino will later send a signal to the MOSFET that will control the output. The suitable cut-off temperature is 40ºC since a temperature higher than 43 ºC applied to human skin may have permanent effects. Overall, this project provides a solution to the sports injury field by applying hyperthermia as a treatment. Further studies should be done in order to improve the performance of the device, or alternatives should be explored