Design and implementation of an ultra-small vital-signs-monitoring multi-sensing microsystem for COVID-19 management

这个合作研究项目依靠一个多学科团队，包括两所大学、两个加拿大研究教席和三个医疗技术和先进制造领域的创新合作伙伴组织，旨在设计、制造和测试一种微小、廉价、易于使用的可穿戴式多传感器设备，以持续远程监护患者，并为新冠肺炎的管理提供极大帮助。该设备既可用于对检测呈阳性的患者进行随访，也可用于监测高危患者，如老年人或免疫功能低下的患者。我们设想了有史以来设计的最小的生命体征监测设备。这种微型传感器将通过与CMC MicroSystems合作开发的先进3D-IC集成策略，将定制的CMOS集成电路与现成的超小型电子元件(COTS)相结合，从而实现极高水平的小型化。这款微型多传感设备将满足IMD研究的需求，该研究致力于为患者提供廉价的、延长电池寿命的多传感监测设备，以远程连续测量温度、心率(HR)、血压(BP)、血氧饱和度(SpO2)和呼吸频率(RR)。专用集成电路(ASIC)和超小型COT将使用基于硅插入器开发的先进的系统级封装芯片集成进行组合和互连。整个微型传感器的功耗将非常低，在几百微瓦以内，以延长电池寿命。将与Nexless合作开发一种定制软件应用程序，以准确和连续地读取患者的生命体征，并关闭患者与各种连接设备之间的环路，例如Nexless的呼吸机。在规模上，我们的设备将是廉价的，并为患者、他们的家人和医护人员提供直接和有效的缓解。此外，加拿大重新开放经济的能力将取决于我们衡量和监测新冠肺炎案件波动的能力。我们的设备在这方面可能会有很大帮助。

This collaborative research project, which counts on a multidisciplinary team, including two universities, two Canada research Chairs, and three innovative partner organizations in medical technologies and advanced manufacturing, aims to design, manufacture and test a tiny, inexpensive and easy-to-use wearable multi-sensing device to continuously monitor patients remotely, and help greatly to manage COVID-19. This device will be useful both for the follow-up of patients that tested positive as for the monitoring of patients at risk such as the elderly or immunocompromised. We envision the smallest vital signs monitoring device ever designed. This microsensor will achieve an extreme level of miniaturization by combining CMOS custom integrated circuits with ultra-small electronic components available off the shelf (COTS) through an advanced 3D-IC integration strategy that will be developed in collaboration with CMC Microsystems. The miniature multi-sensing device will address the requirements of iMD research, which strives to provide patients with inexpensive multi-sensing monitoring devices of extended battery life to continuously measure temperature, heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), oxygen saturation (SPO2) and respiratory rate (RR) remotely. Application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and ultra-small COTS will be combined and interconnected together using the advanced system-in-package chip integration that will be developed based on silicon interposers. The power consumption of the whole microsensor will be very low, within a few hundreds of microwatts, in order to extend the battery life. A custom software application will be developed in collaboration with Nexless to accurately and continuously read patients' vital signs and close the loop between the patients and various connected devices, such as Nexless's ventilators. At scale, our device will be inexpensive and provide direct and effective relief to patients, their families, and health care workers. Furthermore, the ability of Canada to reopen its economy will depend on our ability to measure and monitor the fluctuation in COVID-19 cases. Our device could be of immense help in that effort.