I-Corps: Blood Pressure Monitoring by a Miniaturized Cuffless Sensor

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a wearable device to measure blood pressure. Uncontrolled hypertension impacts an alarming 116 million Americans, resulting in 1 in 5 deaths from heart disease and stroke. In addition, preeclampsia affects 3% to 5% of pregnancies in the US, potentially leading to severe consequences such as seizures and permanent organ damage. Continuous blood pressure monitoring significantly reduces these risks, but current solutions have limitations. Cuff measurement requires inflation and is only effective for up to 24-48 hours, while optical sensors are inaccurate due to sensitivity to skin tones, user motion, and limited penetration depth. The proposed technology is a sensor and algorithms that may be integrated into a wearable device, providing enhanced data accuracy and improved continuous monitoring compliance in a reliable, convenient, and cost-effective manner. This may provide an option for long-term blood pressure management. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a subcutaneous blood pressure monitoring sensor and biosensing algorithms. The proposed technology uses miniaturized non-invasive piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducers (PMUTs) integrated with cutting-edge silicon technology and biosensing algorithms. The technology has been shown to provide superior environmental resistance, deeper skin penetration using ultrasound, long-term stability with competitive power consumption, and cost savings. In addition, the ultrasound beamforming ensures precise targeting of blood vessels, making the technology resistant to user movement interference. These innovations have enabled the development of wearable devices offering non-invasive, cuffless solutions in versatile forms such as wrist, chest, and arm bands. Enhanced data accuracy and increased user compliance make the proposed cuffless blood pressure monitoring system an option for continuous, long-term blood pressure management. 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.