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

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.