More than €4 million will be invested in a digital health project to bring a potentially lifesaving smart cardiac monitoring patch to life.
An innovative new technology could revolutionise the digital health sector and in turn, crucially alleviate some of the stress on the healthcare system. ‘SmartVista’ is a wearable biosensor which tracts patient data as they go about their daily life and transmits the information wirelessly to healthcare professionals. In particular, the SmartVista biosensor will deliver information such as heart rhythm (electrocardiograph), respiration, temperature and oxygen flow.
At the helm of this exciting new development is Tyndall National Institute and speaking at the award of €1 million to Tyndall to lead the SmartVista project, CEO Prof. William Scanlon said:
“This is game changing technology in the digital health sector. Powered by body heat, the SmartVista patch will enable patients to live normal lives away from hospital or clinical environments, and yet be fully monitored in real time.
“The societal impact in terms of waiting times, hospital infrastructure and patient comfort and care is very significant. We are delighted to lead the SmartVista project, as our market leading research across wireless, nanotech, sensors and wearables combines to create an innovative solution for digital health.”
In total, €4 million will be invested into the digital health project led by Dr Kafil M. Razeeb, which utilizes nanomaterial-based sensors as well as thermoelectric energy harvesters to extract energy from the body to power the system and printable battery systems to store this energy. The device is thus self-powered.
Funding for SmartVista has been provided through the EU Horizon 2018-2020 ICT programme. Multidisciplinary partners include UCC, CNRS, Novosense, Fraunhofer-EMFT and Analog Devices. Professor Colm O’Dwyer from UCC’s School of Chemistry remarked that the value of projects like this cannot be overemphasized:
“Making medical devices and vital sign monitors as a wearable would revolutionize citizen health, neo-natal care, real-time health tracking for young and old, and make hospital-grade accurate health monitoring as life-tool.”
Indeed, Tyndall aren’t missing a beat with this incredible development!
