WPI to Develop Sensors for Early Detection of Blood Loss in Wounded Soldiers

Launching this fall at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), the three-year R&D project will conduct research to promote early detection of blood loss in wounded soldiers. The U.S. Army granted a $1.9 M for this initiative that will take place in partnership with the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS).

The head of WPI’s Biomedical Engineering Department, Ki Chon, PhD, and associate professor Yitzhak Mendelson, PhD will lead the project. The WPI team will create small wireless sensors that can be carried by soldiers during combat operations. Moreover, mathematical algorithms for processing signal from the sensors will be formulated, enabling concurrent measurement of seven physiological parameters, with a method to detect bleeding. Besides developing sensors to be worn on the body, the WPI team will integrate these capabilities within smartphones for easy portability. The wearable sensor as well as smartphone technologies will undergo validation at the medical school.

Chon’s laboratory will implement the project’s signal processing operation and technology for deployment on a smartphone. Mendelson’s team will direct the development of wearable sensor device.

Based on light, the monitoring system underway will measure vital signs. Small sensors will generate infrared and visible light through the skin for identifying the various frequencies of light being absorbed by pulsing arterial blood. With series of algorithms, slight fluctuations in the spectra can be compared with a variety of physiological parameters. The incorporated video camera within smartphone platform will record the reflections using light.

The team considers that the algorithm previously developed by Chon may allow the detection of dehydration in patients who are not affected by blood loss.

The Army program inspires the WPI team to develop software, hardware, and algorithm for achieving the right size, durability and precision of sensors. The sensors feature embedded accelerometers for detecting body movement and posture, and a wireless link for monitoring the health of soldiers and for responding with emergency aid.

Maintenance of precise measurements while soldiers are under motion is a crucial aspect in developing sensor for battlefield conditions

With the commencement of the project’s second year, WPI-made prototypes will be deployed by the UMass Memorial Medical Center’s emergency department for monitoring vital signs of patients under trauma and for detecting blood loss. Additionally, the UMMS clinical team will enable the manufacture of decision support tools for incorporation within the smartphone.

Source: http://www.wpi.edu/

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