Short-range wireless sensor platform for ambulatory and implantable applications (Tekes, FinnWell Programme)
Principal Investigators at ASE: Prof. Jukka Lekkala
Duration of the project: 01.01.2006 - 28.02.2009
Abstract of the project (as written in the project plan):
Lightweight and easily attachable physiological wireless sensors and implantable smart sensing devices will dramatically change the way we understand physiological measurements in health care, sport, and wellness applications today. This technology provides the enabling technology for real long-term monitoring of physiological functions in sports, home health care as well as in hospital environment. The healthcare system will become more mobile, demand driven, efficient, and patient friendly. The sensors will allow health conscious customers to get more personalized data regarding their health or physical condition. For patient they will improve their quality of life, i.e. to spend an ordinary life longer and with more freedom.
In five years time these new sensors utilized in health care, sports and also in domestic animal applications will be a multi billion euro market and will produce even larger market in related fields enabled and enhanced by this technology. Since the technology is based on the Finnish core know-how the real turnover can be expected to emerge much faster than in bio or gene technology based industries.
We are combining the emerging technologies in long and short range wireless networking, microsensors, 3D-electronics and biomaterial engineering at this very discontinuing point in technology development. Our goal is to develop technology to commercially mass produce physiological measurement systems based on light adhesive patch type wireless sensors and implantable smart sensing devices.
The basic research in this area is conducted in the internationally top ranked project of the Academy of Finland “Future electronics” research program. The applied TEKES funding is essential for commercialization and industrialization of the developed technology. Project will provide an excellent basis for spin-off companies and cooperation with global enterprises.
This project will develop and provide new wireless sensor technologies for health care and sport applications. Part of the solutions to be developed will be in the front of the present state of the art, however, utilizing the new sophisticated 3D packaging and biocompatible encapsulation technologies. The planned implanted sensors will clearly be beyond the state of the art and aimed for physiological information systems of the future. The sensor technologies provide new wireless solutions for home health care and wearable body networks.
International cooperation:
This project will be part of the Innovation Alliance project “Information Technology for Assisted Living At Home” (ITALH). The Innovation Alliance is formed by local technology research funding organizers in Denmark, Finland, and California such as TEKES in Finland. The international ITALH-cooperative effort is to use information and computer technology to provide assisted living and remote health care monitoring to improve the quality of life and extend the ability to live at home. This will be achieved with a suite of applications and devices that provide for a modular, integrated, scalable system of wireless and other devices. In relation to ITALH a second project UUTE will be established to test the designed technology. The goal of the UUTE research project is, within the ITALH framework, to study and develop an integration of emerging technology and service platform that: 1) supports independent and safe living at home, and especially a patient's recovery and rehabilitation at home, and 2) supports the service providers and the healthcare personnel in their work towards health and safety of the customer.
Participating in the WISEPLA project will give the companies view to the Finnish project pool and the international ITALH project. The development, testing and exploitation of the technology in real life environments will be conducted in three countries and separate environments. The research efforts will be conducted by several research teams from three universities and three research institutions. Thus, a larger view can be obtained to the entire problem area from sensor to services. In addition, an accelerated path may be available to demonstrate the developed technology and to commercialize the results in international markets.
Results of the project and possible follow-ups:
A wearable bioimpedance measurement device was developed which was able to measure the ECG and the bioimpedance simultaneously. The bioimpedance measurement result can be used to determine various parameters related to the respiration.
The implantable ECG measurement device (developed originally in the Wireless project) was further developed and miniaturised during the Wisepla project. There were also two in vivo tests that were run in cows with the devices. The in vivo tests were successful and the outcomes were utilised in the design phase of the next implantable measurement device designed in Remowel project (2010-2012).
During the project, research effort was also dedicated to wireless, powerless, continuous monitoring of a total knee replacement (TKR). The research related to the problem in question was relatively basic research. However, functional prototypes were constructed that measured the cycles of walking with pietsoceramics.
Financing organisations: Tekes, Suunto, Medisize, Vivoxid, Stoat Technologies, Coxa, Aino Active, Aniwell, VTI Technologies
Research personnel at ASE: 1-2 (a combined project manager and researcher and occasionally an Msc worker)
Cooperation organisations and units: Biomedical Engineering (biomaterials and biomedical modelling), Electronics (electronics miniaturisation and personal electronics)