Texas summers can turn brutal in a hurry, and when the temperature soars, your body loses water fast – often before you realize it. For athletes, firefighters, construction crews – or anyone who spends hours in the heat – spotting dehydration before it strikes is critical.
Yet today’s hydration checks usually mean poking fingers for blood, collecting urine, or lugging bulky lab gear around. None of that works when you’re running drills on a football field or climbing two flights of stairs in full turnout gear.
Engineers at the University of Texas at Austin believe they have a simpler answer: a soft, sticker‑like sensor you can wear all day that quietly measures hydration in real time.
“Dehydration is a silent threat that affects millions of people every day,” said senior author Nanshu Lu, a professor at UT Austin. “Our wearable sensor provides a simple, effective way to monitor hydration levels in real time, empowering individuals to take proactive steps to stay healthy and perform at their best.”
