SBIR-STTR Award

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to improve occupational safety and health outcomes within the fire service through translational research and development of an affordable wearable physiologic monitoring device. Nearly 50% of firefighter line of duty deaths are the result of sudden cardiovascular events and the societal costs of firefighter injuries are in the billions of dollars, yet many departments cannot afford the costs of implementing the firefighter monitoring programs. Therefore, the use of an affordable wearable which can gather, store and transmit physiological data in real-time has the potential to reduce fatalities, injuries and costs. The affordability of manufacturing the device is the major commercial innovation as it will extend the physiological monitoring capability to workers exposed to extreme environmental conditions such as firefighters, soldiers, chemical and biological lab technicians, and commercial drivers - groups that have not been able to afford the cost of longitudinal and/or real-time physiological monitoring and predictive diagnostics. The affordability of the device will enable researchers to further scientific knowledge correlating the interrelationship between experimental physiological monitoring and field-based data. The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to improve occupational safety and health outcomes within the fire service through translational research and development of an affordable wearable physiologic monitoring device. Nearly 50% of firefighter line of duty deaths are the result of sudden cardiovascular events and the societal costs of firefighter injuries are in the billions of dollars, yet many departments cannot afford the costs of implementing the firefighter monitoring programs. Therefore, the use of an affordable wearable which can gather, store and transmit physiological data in real-time has the potential to reduce fatalities, injuries and costs. The affordability of manufacturing the device is the major commercial innovation as it will extend the physiological monitoring capability to workers exposed to extreme environmental conditions such as firefighters, soldiers, chemical and biological lab technicians, and commercial drivers - groups that have not been able to afford the cost of longitudinal and/or real-time physiological monitoring and predictive diagnostics. The affordability of the device will enable researchers to further scientific knowledge correlating the interrelationship between experimental physiological monitoring and field-based data.

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is the development of a comprehensive physiological monitoring platform that provides individuals working in hazardous occupations, such as firefighters, with longitudinal and real-time physiological monitoring that includes predictive diagnostics. Because existing physiological monitoring products are cost-prohibitive for most fire and emergency service agencies, and 50% of firefighter deaths are due to sudden cardiac events, this technology offers fire-service agencies an affordable mechanism for addressing this critical problem. Multiple studies have shown that early detection of an irregular heart-rate event (arrhythmias) offers a significant advantage in preventing and treating further CVD. The proposed technological innovation would consist of a wearable physiological monitoring device, which will use a range of networking mechanisms to communicate with a user-friendly analytical platform. Further, the integration of a self-alert system into a wearable patch would support a standalone operation even if there were to be a communication lag between a firefighter and command center. Early detection of arrhythmias and promoting corrective actions could reduce each individual cardiovascular disability claim by about $325,000. The proposed project aims to reduce the economic and social costs associated with firefighter injuries and fatalities due to underlying cardiovascular-disease and the extreme physiological strain resulting from the hazardous occupational environments in which fire services personnel work. The affordability of the proposed technology would not only improve occupational safety in the industry, but also enable scientists to further scientific knowledge about the interrelationships between oxygen saturation, ECG values, and extreme heat and physiological stress by using this technology to conduct experimental and field-based research. The longitudinal analysis possible with this platform would also give scientists the tools necessary to research the relationships between physiological stress and human performance factors, to gain a deeper understanding about critical factors in mechanisms such as decision making, risk perception, and communication. These factors are frequently cited in National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) after incident investigations of firefighter fatalities, along with playing important roles in the operating procedure standards set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). 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.