Development of a Portable, Continuous, and Real-time Muscle Metabolism Monitoring System Based On Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Analysis and Mobile Edge Computing

在包括加拿大在内的大多数发达国家，糖尿病等非传染性慢性疾病一直是发病率、死亡率和保健支出的主要原因，而且似乎呈上升趋势。体育锻炼在改善非传染性疾病患者康复中的关键作用已被广泛认识，这需要对肌肉氧合的深入了解。最近，基于近红外光谱（NIRS）的技术因其无创和便携性而被提出作为研究肌肉代谢的一种有前途的方法。虽然它很有前途，但由于接收信号的噪声、干扰和失真的复杂特征，以及应用先进的信号处理技术导致的高计算复杂性，将近红外光谱技术应用于肌肉代谢测量是具有挑战性的。所有这些挑战都阻碍了工业公司开发基于近红外光谱技术的商业肌肉代谢监测仪。

Non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes, have been a leading cause of morbidity, mortality and health care expenditures in most developed countries including Canada, and appear to be on the rise. The pivotal role of physical activity in improving NCD patients' rehabilitation has been widely recognized, which requests thorough understanding of muscle oxygenation. Recently, technology based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been proposed as a promising way to investigate muscle metabolism because of its noninvasive and portable nature. Although it is promising, applying NIRS technology for muscle metabolism measurement is challenging due to the complex profiles of noise, interference, and distortion to the received signal, and the high computational complexity resulting from the application of advanced signal processing techniques. All these challenges have prevented industrial companies from developing commercial muscle metabolism monitors based on the NIRS technology. To well address all aforementioned challenges, this project will focus on developing a new implementation platform through integrating the state of art technologies in signal processing and mobile communications. Specifically, with meaningful industrial and academic collaborations, this work will develop 1) a new specified software platform for quantitative muscle oxygenation saturation (SmO2) measurement over a newly fabricated near-infrared sensor; and 2) novel protocols and algorithms addressing the adoption of mobile edge computing for real-time monitoring. This cutting-edge research will generate new ideas and knowledge in NIRS analysis and mobile edge computing, and, through collaborations, enable the development of new commercial products that will foster a vital competitive edge for Canadian healthcare industry in the international market place.