Wearable sensor HapSense tech to sharpen skin care testing by integrating big data

17 Sep 2024 --- Singapore-based researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are advancing the industry with the recent development of HapSense, a wearable sensor designed to dramatically speed up and enhance skin care product testing.

Procter & Gamble (P&G) and the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) funded the technology’s development. HapSense’s sensor component, which is shaped like a signet ring and worn on the fingertip, makes a lightweight, portable device that can be used for skin analysis even in homes.

Personal Care Insights speaks with Professor Chen Xiaodong, the president’s chair in Materials Science and Engineering at NTU, who unveiled HapSense. The technology is designed to provide objective, real-time data on how products interact with skin, thereby providing a more dependable substitute for conventional subjective human panel methods, which leaves room for “guesswork.”

In collaboration with P&G and A*STAR, the NTU team is preparing to commercialize the device, with plans for a potential spin-off company. The portable device has the potential to change R&D and consumer skin care experiences by integrating tactile data collection with big data analytics.

Can you explain the role of the HapSense device?
Xiaodong: HapSense is an innovative wearable skin sensor designed to revolutionize skin care product analysis. Its primary role is to provide scientists with precise, objective measurements of tactile sensations, such as friction and pressure, on the skin. Shaped like a signet ring and attached to a smartwatch-like module, it is portable and lightweight, making it easy to use in labs and potentially even in consumers’ homes. By capturing real-time data as it glides over the skin, HapSense allows scientists to analyze the effects of skin care products on human skin up to ten times faster than conventional methods, enabling more efficient product development and testing.

How does the HapSense technology differ from traditional skin-testing methods?
Xiaodong: Traditional skin-testing methods typically involve two approaches based on subjective human panel assessment. The first is consumer panels, where participants provide feedback based on personal perception, often through surveys. This feedback can be easily influenced by environmental factors, emotional states and personal preferences. The second approach is sensory panels, where trained panelists articulate sensory perceptions in an objective manner to minimize the random factors seen in consumer panels. However, both methods can be inconsistent due to varying personal biases, such as their choice of vocabulary to describe their feelings.

Dr. Liu Zhihua, A*STAR; NTU Professor Chen Xiaodong and Dr. Susan Gong, P&G Singapore Innovation Centre with the Hapsense device (Image credit: NTU Singapore).In contrast, HapSense offers a comprehensive approach that allows consumers to both feel and measure sensations simultaneously. It captures detailed real-time information on friction, vibration and pressure, translating the overall sensory experience from a testing panel into measurable data accurately. This design helps eliminate the guesswork in understanding the tactile effects of skin care products on the skin, leading to a more reliable and reproducible result.

What potential applications do you foresee for HapSense in the personal care industry?
Xiaodong: HapSense holds significant potential in the personal care and cosmetics industry. It can be used to understand consumer-preferred tactile sensory profiles for different skin types across various ethnicities, races, geographical locations and seasons, aiding in the digitalization of design criteria for products or regimens. HapSense can also track skin changes in response to product treatments for efficacy evaluation. At beauty studios, it could recommend personalized skin care regimens based on specific skin types and conditions, offering customized solutions to consumers. 

In R&D for product development, HapSense can help brands improve formulations by providing detailed insights into how ingredients affect and change the skin. Given its portable and lightweight construct, HapSense can be brought into consumers’ homes to conduct in-home studies, providing the most relevant feedback on real-world skin care applications at home. In manufacturing, HapSense can support quality control and assurance measurements.

What are the next steps for NTU in terms of commercializing the HapSense technology?
Xiaodong: The team’s next steps in commercializing the HapSense will involve further collaboration with P&G to refine the device for large-scale use. Given its broad potential across various personal care and consumer goods sectors, the team is working to integrate the device into product testing and development processes at P&G. 

Additionally, NTU and A*STAR are looking to spin off a company, scaling up production to make HapSense available for commercial use. The device’s ability to collect large amounts of consistent data could also lead to the development of big data analytics tools that can enhance its applications.

By Venya Patel