Warn-EM - Early Warning Bleeding Sensor

Need Statement:

A way to detect bleeding in patients during post-procedural care early, especially after dialysis, in order to prevent life-threatening blood loss and to allow nurses to perform other clinical duties. 

The Approach:

With a team of 4, we designed an early warning bleeding sensor using an antenna that emits and receives radio frequencies of 2.8GHz. This microstrip patch antenna is able to detect changes in one's gauze, and send a WiFi notification to nurses on the go. We prototyped via simulations on CST before printing our antenna using a PCB Printer and tested our device using a VNA and on to a miniVNA. This solution aims to minimise the amount of time taken for nurses who have to constantly check on patient's for any signs of bleeding after a major surgery or dialysis.

View our slides here: https://tinyurl.com/warn-em

I conducted antenna simulations on CST as well as coded the automation of the device from detection of bleeding to notification using Python. Lastly, I also edited the video on DaVinci Resolve.

The choice of 2.8GHz was mainly due to 2 reasons: the size of our device, as well as how we did not want to experience any interference with WiFi. Moreover, we were constrained by the frequency range of our miniVNA which could only read up to a maximum of 3GHz. This solution won the most innovative solution in SUTD'S Topic in Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering's Course in 2021.