New Generation of Opto-Electronic Patch Sensor to enable effective human vital signs monitoring for healthcare, personal health monitoring during phys

Overview
The conceptual CareLight sensor technology has already demonstrated its better performance of physiological monitoring (http://atlasofscience.org/tag/carelight) with multiplexed functionalities over available smart devices to fulfil a fast growing demand of mobile healthcare and personal health monitoring at rest and during physical activity. The project will utilise LU patented sensor technology (GB patent: 2524919) to create a continuous human vital signs monitoring prototype with a heterogonous engineering architecture and it's use for physiological monitoring as requested by clinicians, individuals and even sportsmen/women, will be validated through gold standard testing procedures. The new generation of power-saving opto-electronic patch sensor (POPS) prototype created in this project will provide reliable signals that are motion resistant and not prone to failure with existing smart devices for a period (>24 hours) of real-time human vital signs monitoring. The POPS when combined with an ergonomic design and a power-saving engineering architecture will be fully compliance with clinical regulated monitoring devices and data management systems, and will be perfectly suited to medical and sporting monitoring environments.

Excellence in Science and Technology
The POPS will be one of the outcomes derived from solid fundamental research of opto-physiological interaction (NASA/TM-2011-216145) against existing lambert-Beer law based and motion artefact photoplethysmography (PPG). LU opto-physiological modelling based physiological monitoring work was recognised as being at the forefront of worldwide pulse oximetry research by Drexel University in 2008 (www.pages.drexel.edu/~kmg462/currentresearch.html). Together with power-saving architecture (http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2013/CP/C3CP52036F#!divAbstract), fundamental research will be undertaken to provide optimal solutions toward viable innovative products, The sensor will be integrated into wearable products with power sources, flexible electronics, materials and manufacturing processes explored in a user-centred design context. The POPS will possess miniaturised, system integrated and ultra-light weight features with a reliable and better performance to deliver one-stop solutions in critical signs monitoring. The developed POPS prototype will be tested using standardised physiological testing procedures in order to demonstrate its reliability and resistance to motion artefact. The POPS prototype offers both clinicians and scientists the ability to gain more in-depth knowledge of physiological processes within the body as its design makes it easy to collect data continuously over long periods of time as it is ultra-light weight, comfortable, unobtrusive and does not impede or restrict movement.


Objectives
The project will consolidate the enabling optoelectronic sensing tech into power-saving architecture design of user prototype leading to healthcare and sport physiological monitoring application. The objectives of the project will be created with its unique characteristics of forthcoming POPS as follows:
1) Motion resistance physiological monitoring with a sound fundamental of opto-physiological interaction.
2) Heterogeneous design to provide enhanced functionalities of POPS and a better performance during the measurements inside and outdoor.
3) Physiological testing will be undertaken not only to validate heterogonous design in power consumption but also to gain further insight into physiological processes within the body both at rest and during intensive physical activity through continuous, long duration, minimally intrusive measurement.
4) Multidisciplinary research across photonics, design, healthcare and sport monitoring application to lead a new research paradigm of site/field sport physiologic monitoring even assessment in a real-time.