SBIR Phase II: Smartphone-based blood pressure monitoring via the oscillometric finger pressing method

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是改进按需、低成本的血压监测。高血压（BP）是影响全球10亿人的主要心血管危险因素。高血压是可以治疗的，但人们对高血压的认识和控制并不普遍。无处不在的血压监测可以改善高血压管理，但现有的设备需要一个充气袖带，并且不方便按需测量血压。便携式无袖带血压计的市场价值估计高达数百亿美元。本项目将开发一种便携式、便捷的BP监测技术。该项目将推进一种新的血压监测技术。该设备使用标准的振荡手指按压方法，但不是使用充气袖带，而是用户将手指按压在传感器上以确定血压。该项目将推进硬件、算法和相关应用程序。研发计划包括优化传感技术，以适应各种手指尺寸；硬件小型化；优化算法适用于广泛的低血压、正常血压和高血压用户；以及应用程序用户界面的开发。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to improve on-demand, low-cost blood pressure monitoring. High blood pressure (BP) is a major cardiovascular risk factor affecting up to 1 billion people worldwide. It is treatable, yet hypertension awareness and control is not common. Ubiquitous BP monitoring could improve hypertension management but existing devices require an inflatable cuff and are inconvenient for on-demand BP measurement. The market for a portable, cuff-less blood pressure monitor is estimated in the tens of billions of dollars. This project will develop a technology for portable, convenient BP monitoring. The proposed project will advance a novel technology for blood pressure monitoring. The proposed device uses the standard oscillometric finger-pressing method, but instead of using an inflated cuff, the user presses a finger against a sensor to determine the blood pressure. This program will advance the hardware, algorithm, and associated app. The R&D plan includes optimizing the sensing technology to accommodate a wide range of finger sizes; miniaturization of the hardware; optimization of the algorithm for a broad range of low, normotensive and hypertensive users; and development of the app user interface.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.