researchers developed four years ago<\/a>. The new project represents a bold technical leap forward.<\/p>\n\u201cOur goal is to create a wearable device that can monitor blood pressure unobtrusively and with clinical accuracy,\u201d said Deji Akinwande, professor in the Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering and the lead researcher on the project. \u201c\u200bThis technology has the potential to revolutionize how we manage cardiovascular health, providing individuals and health care providers with the data they need to make informed decisions and take proactive measures.\u201d \u200b<\/p>\n
The project is structured into two phases over three years, with specific milestones and deliverables each year. \u200bIn Phase 1, the first year, the team will focus on developing the foundational technology, including designing and validating the smartwatch antenna, creating an alpha version of the core chip for measuring the body\u2019s signals, and developing initial machine learning algorithms for blood pressure estimation. \u200b<\/p>\n
Phase 2 includes years 2 and 3. The second year will see the integration of the technology into a smartwatch prototype, complete with a smartphone app for real-time data visualization and analytics. By the third year, the researchers aim to deliver a fully functional smartwatch prototype.<\/p>\n
The final product, Smartwatch BP Prototype 3.0, will feature multimodal sensing capabilities, powered by advanced machine learning algorithms and edge computing technology, to correlate blood pressure with other vital signs, human activities, and environmental factors such as temperature and humidity. The smartwatch will be designed to meet the highest industry standards for blood pressure measurement accuracy.<\/p>\n
In medicine, cuff-less blood pressure monitoring is a major priority, but a mainstream option has yet to surface. It\u2019s part of a larger push in medicine to use technology to untether patients from machines while collecting more data wherever they are, allowing them to move from room to room, clinic to clinic and still receive personalized care.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is more than just a smartwatch; it\u2019s a tool for empowering individuals to take control of their health,\u201d said Hirofumi Tanaka, professor in the College of Education\u2019s Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at UT. \u201cBy providing continuous, clinically accurate blood pressure monitoring, we can help people identify potential health issues early and take action to prevent them.\u201d \u200b<\/p>\n
The device measures its readings by passing an electrical signal through the skin and then analyzing the body\u2019s response, a process known as bioimpedance. There is a correlation between bioimpedance and changes in blood pressure that is related to changes in blood volume. However, the correlation is not particularly obvious, so the team will employ machine learning models to analyze the connection and obtain accurate blood pressure readings.<\/p>\n
Unlike other emerging bioimpedance methods that require direct skin contact, the smartwatch will use radio-frequency (RF) waves emitted and received by an antenna integrated into the device. \u200bThis approach eliminates the need for intimate skin contact, making the device more comfortable and suitable for long-term use. \u200b<\/p>\n
The researchers have filed an application to patent this technology. They are exploring forming a startup around their work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis research provides a pathway to a practical product that millions of people around the world can use,\u201d said Yaoyao Jia, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at UT. \u201cOur collaboration with AI, hardware and industry leaders will ensure that this technology is not only scientifically sound but also practical and accessible to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to the interdisciplinary UT team, the researchers collaborated with Edgar Lobaton, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at North Carolina State University and an expert on integrating AI and modeling technologies into cyber-physical systems such as health care devices and rehabilitation robots.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AUSTIN, Texas \u2014A new smartwatch, being developed by researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and North…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58986,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133,8014,31778,584,858,3621],"class_list":["post-58985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news","tag-cockrell-school-of-engineering","tag-college-of-education","tag-health","tag-research","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}