Gadget for asthmatics

A wearable device will help asthmatics avoid seizures

Oleg Lischuk, N+1

American scientists have developed a wearable device for monitoring the condition of patients with asthma, its connection with environmental factors and the risk of developing an attack. Its description is published in the IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics (Dieffenderfer et al., Low Power Wearable Systems for Continuous Monitoring of Environment and Health for Chronic Respiratory Disease).

The device, developed by employees of North Carolina State University at Raleigh and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, consists of three parts: a sensor with a wristband for wearing on the wrist, a chest sensor and a pocket spirometer (a device for measuring the frequency, depth and rhythm of breathing).

The wrist sensor detects the level of hazardous substances – ozone and volatile organic compounds – in the ambient air, as well as temperature, humidity, pulse and oxygen saturation of the blood. The chest sensor registers the heart rate (electrocardiographically and photoplethysmographically), respiratory rate (photoplethysmographically), electrical resistance of the skin, wheezing characteristic of bronchospasm (using a microphone). A spirometer measures the characteristics of the exhaled air flow (with asthma, it is the exhalation that is disturbed). All components also register acceleration along three axes.

Figure from an article in the Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics

The sensors are integrated into a multimodal sensor platform. The stream of data recorded by it is transmitted via Bluetooth to a special application for a computer or smartphone, and from there to cloud storage on a dedicated server. This information will help doctors and patients to clarify the diagnosis and choose a rational strategy for treating asthma and preventing seizures. In addition, data from a wrist sensor can warn an asthmatic about dangerous air pollution and help him avoid an attack.

Field tests of the device are scheduled for the summer of 2016. Along the way, scientists are improving the device, reducing the size and energy consumption. In its current version, the spirometer, wrist and chest sensors consume 0.01, 0.83 and 0.96 milliwatts of energy, respectively. They receive power from an external source, but scientists intend to convert the device to energy from the heat and movements of the user's body.

According to developer Alper Bozkurt, a commercial version of the device called HET (Health and Environmental Tracker) will be ready within four to five years. The estimated price of the device will be about $ 50.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  06.06.2016