A novel multimodal sensing ring may effectively measure scratch intensity in patients with chronic itching caused by dermatologic conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and allergies, according to a new study published by Padmanabha et al in Communications Medicine. Current wearables for scratch detection do not measure scratch intensity, making it challenging to fully evaluate the impact of chronic itching. However, the new device incorporated an accelerometer, contact microphone, pressure-sensitive tablet, and machine-learning algorithm to estimate high-frequency vibrations, ground truth scratch intensity values, and regression of scratch intensity on a 0 to 600 mW power scale that could then be converted to a continuous scale of 0 to 10. After enrolling 20 patients, the researchers demonstrated that the multimodal sensing ring was capable of achieving clinically significant discrimination of scratching intensity, with a mean absolute error of 1.37. The device also provided multidimensional, objective, real-time measurements for scratching and helped quantify variations in the interpretation of the subjective 0 to 10 scale used in patient-reported itch assessments. The researchers hope their new device can be integrated into drug testing and can be utilized by patients to monitor their personal health.