SBIR Phase II: A Wearable Non-Invasive Deep Tissue Thermometer

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力始于一种可穿戴的非侵入性设备，该设备可在临床环境中提供重要的大脑和内部器官温度测量，可以显着降低死亡率，并为成千上万接受心脏和主动脉修复手术的患者降低永久性脑损伤的风险。这种影响延伸到保护大脑免受额外的永久性脑损伤和终身残疾，美国每年有480万人因中风、心脏骤停或创伤性脑损伤住院，100万婴儿出生时血氧流量受损，需要在生命的最初几个小时内进行持续的脑温度管理。最后，这项技术通过下一代手持式和可穿戴式体温计监测一般健康状况，并提前通知健康状况的变化，为数百万消费者提供更一致、更有意义的内部体温测量。真实的内部体温将成为下一代可穿戴传感器的有力补充，下一代可穿戴传感器将许多健康指标整合到一个全面的、可操作的个人健康快照中。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目实现了30多年来的期望，即真正的内部体温提供了一个有意义的健康指标。这种技术可以测量从体内辐射出来的极小的电磁热噪声。通过不同的微波技术和生物科学的交叉，这种新颖的可穿戴传感器成为可能。研究挑战包括开发一种利用近场可穿戴探头的超低噪声接收器的设计方法，发现有效的干扰缓解技术，以及开发一种准确快速的温度估计算法，所有这些都在低功耗可穿戴封装中。该项目将开发所需的灵敏度、空间分辨率，并减轻来自GPS、Wi-Fi、蜂窝和其他常见电子源的显著微波噪声。在第一阶段利用了现成的组件之后，该公司正在转向小型化和专业化芯片，以满足应用需求。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 begins with a wearable, non-invasive device providing vital brain and internal organ temperature measurements in a clinical setting that can dramatically reduce mortality and the risk of permanent brain damage for tens of thousands of patients experiencing cardiac and aortic repair surgery. This impact extends to protecting the brain from additional permanent brain injury and lifelong disability for the 4.8 million people hospitalized annually in the US after stroke, cardiac arrest or traumatic brain injury and 1 million infants born with impaired blood-oxygen flow needing constant brain temperature management in their first hours of life. Finally, this technology offers a more consistent and meaningful internal body temperature measurement for millions of consumers through next generation handheld and wearable thermometers monitoring general wellness and providing advanced notice of changes in health conditions. True internal body temperature will be a powerful complement to the inevitable next generation wearable sensors that integrate many health indicators into a comprehensive and actionable snapshot of personal health.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project fulfills the more than 30-year expectation that true internal body temperatures providing a meaningful metric of wellness. Such technologies measure extremely small electromagnetic thermal noise radiated from within the body. Through the intersection of disparate microwave technologies and biological science, this novel wearable sensor became possible. Research challenges include the development of a design methodology for an ultra-low noise receiver utilizing a near-field wearable probe, the discovery of efficient interference mitigation techniques, and the development of an algorithm for accurate and fast temperature estimation, all within a low-power wearable package. This project will develop the needed sensitivity, spatial resolution, and mitigation of the significant microwave noise from GPS, Wi-Fi, cellular and other common electronic sources. After leveraging off-the-shelf components in Phase I, the company is moving to miniaturized and specialized chips to meet the application need.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.