The device
Our final design consists of two physically separable parts:
- An adjustable elastic chest strap with an embedded piezoelectric sensor to track the infant's respiratory rate
- A small monitoring device that sounds an alarm when the infant experience a breathing cessation of twenty seconds.
1. Piezoelectric sensor
2. Chest strap
3. Wiring
4. Plastic case
5. On/off button
6. LED
How it works
In a hospital setting, a nurse fits the chest strap around an infant showing signs of sleep apnea. She connects the piezoelectric sensor to the monitoring device, places it by the crib, and turns the device on.
The nurse is then free to leave the crib and attend to other duties. The piezoelectric sensor will monitor the infant's breathing motions by measuring the small force differences in the chest strap during inhalation and exhalation and translating them into an electrical signal which is read by the monitor.
If the sensor detects that the infant has stopped breathing for twenty seconds, the monitor will emit a loud alarm sound, alerting hospital staff and giving the infant needed medical attention.
The nurse is then free to leave the crib and attend to other duties. The piezoelectric sensor will monitor the infant's breathing motions by measuring the small force differences in the chest strap during inhalation and exhalation and translating them into an electrical signal which is read by the monitor.
If the sensor detects that the infant has stopped breathing for twenty seconds, the monitor will emit a loud alarm sound, alerting hospital staff and giving the infant needed medical attention.