SBIR Phase I: Wearable Technology to Prevent Decompression Sickness Underwater by Continuously Monitoring Bubble Presence in the Bloodstream and Tissues

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种独特的可穿戴水肺潜水设备，通过实时监测用户在潜水时体内氮泡的形成，消除减压病（DCS）的风险。在进行水下活动时发生DCS的风险发生在上升阶段，此时压力的变化可能导致组织和体内形成氮泡。气泡的存在会引发各种严重的伤害，造成长期的后果，甚至死亡。任何专业和有执照的休闲水肺训练都会让受训者意识到与DCS相关的风险。潜水员被指示按照从经验数据的统计考虑建立的标准遵循上升速率和安全停止。然而，在3%的浸入过程中，遵守规则的潜水员会遭受DCS的折磨，需要昂贵且痛苦的撤离和高压氧舱治疗。这种可穿戴设备将在潜水员发病前发出警报，降低患DCS的风险，使水下活动更简单、更安全。拟议的项目计划展示一种创新的超声谐振概念，该概念改编自声学室的概念。声室是由压电装置组成的结构，当受到振荡电压时，它们会变形、膨胀和压缩。振荡的频率可以设置为与进入共振的介质的振动模式相匹配。在这种条件下，该装置对系统弹性特性的微小变化极为敏感，例如由可压缩气泡的存在引起的变化。该项目将执行一个计划，以生产压电阵列的可穿戴设计。将采用人工智能和传统方法来分析电干扰，并将其与气泡尺寸实时联系起来。计算、数据采集和功率需求将被确定。最终，这些结果将决定将所有所需组件集成到潜水员自主可穿戴DCS风险检测设备中的可行性。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to enable the development of a unique wearable scuba-diving device that will eliminate the risk of Decompression Sickness (DCS), by monitoring in real time the formation of nitrogen bubbles in the body of the user while in the dive. The risk to develop DCS while conducting underwater activities occurs during the ascension phase, when the changing pressure may yield the formation of nitrogen bubbles in tissues and body. The presence of bubbles triggers a variety of serious injuries with long term consequences and even death. Any professional and licensed recreational scuba training makes trainees aware about the risks associated to DCS. Divers are instructed to follow ascent rates and safety stops according with criteria established from statistical considerations of empirical data. Nevertheless, DCS is suffered by rule-abiding divers during 3% of the immersions, requiring costly and distressing evacuation and treatment with hyperbaric chambers. The wearable device will alert the scuba-diver before the sickness develops, reducing the risk to suffer DCS, making underwater activities simpler and safer. The proposed project plans to demonstrate an innovative ultrasonic resonant concept adapted from the acoustic chamber notion. Acoustic chambers are structures which are belted by piezoelectric arrangements which are set to deform expanding and compressing when subjected to oscillating electric voltages. The frequency of oscillations can be set to match the modes of vibration of the media entering in resonance. Under such conditions the setup is extremely sensitive to minor changes in the elastic properties of the system, such as those induced by the presence of compressible bubbles. This project will execute a plan to produce a wearable design of the piezoelectric array. Artificial intelligence as well as conventional methods will be employed to analyze the electrical disturbances, and relate them to the bubbles sizes in real time. The computing, data acquisition and power requirements will be determined. Ultimately, these results will determine the feasibility to integrate all the required components in an autonomous wearable DCS risk detection device by a scuba diver.