Tech Project
Description of the challenges faced by the Tech Project
The main challenges of the CAST project are: - To develop a sensor with innovative textile-based electrodes, washable, with longer duration and an high signal fidelity - Remove movement artefact and charge sensitivity to prepare it to be used in a wearable device for long periods of time. - Develop a woven conductive fabric to enable measurements of the ECG - Implementation of appropriate arrhythmia detection algorithms. - Develop a system with compressed storage of data for aided diagnostics and treatment planning. - Create a reliable ECG analysis system with low latency to detect Atrial Fibrillation and notify the cardiologist. - Create a telemedicine service to support cardiologists with large amount of patients.
Brief description of technology
Our product consists of a wearable (t-shirt with integrated electronics) with innovative sensing fabric for cardiac monitoring and a device to collect, pre-process and send data directly to an on-line server [alternatively through a smartphone] for intelligible visualization of body signals and ECG information. The on-line software functions as a telemonitoring system for monitoring multiple patients remotely. The CAST shirt will contain state-of-the-art textile sensors to measure heart rate and full ECG. Optional temperature, blood oxygen meter (CO2 concentration) and respiratory frequency sensors are factors we are evaluating and considering adding to this hardware. The cloud platform that obtains the patient’s data supplies the cardiologists with a web interface for reviewing and annotating the patient’s data. Beneficiaries from electrophysiological measurements include patients that require the monitoring of long term, chronic conditions (e.g. atrial fibrillation); Post-operative patients; and general patients in need of assistive technology. With this technology healthcare institutions can continuously monitor their patients, even remotely in their homes, while releasing them from internment. The project will create a seamless medical product. The patient will only have to put on the t-shirt and turn on the device to use it, and the cardiologist gets the data with automatic arrhythmia notifications.
What the project is looking to gain from the collaboration and what kind of artist would be suitable
The collaboration with the artist would be primarily in the graphic design area. Clothes and garment design for confortable wear of the t-shirt as well as its presentation through multimedia construction: photography, video, storytelling. Communication of the value proposition to the different stakeholders is paramount therefore knowledge of social perception and visual communication is desired. We would love to have the artistic insight into a high-tech t-shirt making it appealing for both patients and cardiologists, and present it with a compelling story that will engage the stakeholders (patients, cardiologist). This could be achieved through images and video that we would use to communicate our value proposition to future clients. Additionally, the look and feel of both hardware and software needs to be coherent and show that we are at the front edge of medical technology.
Resources available to the artist
We will arrange for office (location either in Porto, Portugal or Heidelberg, Germany), exposure to development environment and necessary software for creating the necessary material. Publication of the results will be made throughout the project life-time and also post-project. We have available budget for additional equipment necessary to create the material or rental of equipment. Additional requests for travel and consumables will be arranged in a case-by-case scenario. All the commodities of a modern office are available, including coffee, tea and a dynamic enthusiastic team.