Remote Monitoring Device for COVID-19 Symptoms

As the severity of COVID-19 rises, the ICU capacities of hospitals nationwide have been challenged. The challenges faced today by healthcare systems are monitoring COVID-19 cases, reducing in-person visits, giving adequate attention to those who need emergency care, and reducing the strain on healthcare workers. A remote monitoring system is needed to provide a more systematic and safe monitoring approach while treating those affected by COVID-19. Current market devices that offer remote vital monitoring are not suitable for prolonged use and do not incorporate the combination of vitals essential in detecting COVID-19 disease progression, such as pulse oximetry, heart rate monitoring, temperature monitoring, and respiration rate monitoring. We propose a wearable, continuous symptom monitoring device that is able to simultaneously track ECG data, heart rate, temperature, blood oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate while transmitting them wirelessly to an Android application. The device combines the sensors in a novel manner that allows for a user’s full range of motion, is durable, and is accurate. Our device consists of an ECG sensor with a 3-lead electrode cable, a pulse oximetry sensor, a temperature sensor, and a force-sensitive resistor that are all connected to an Arduino microcontroller and an external HC-06 Bluetooth module. These sensors are housed within a spandex athletic vest for ease of comfort. Our verification testing requires accuracy within industry-standard error rate magnitudes of 4% for pulse oximeters, 10% for heart rate monitors, and 1% °C human body temperature range for temperature monitors. When tested against sensors with known and accepted error rates, our sensors have shown to test within these error rates, passing industry-standard benchmarks for accuracy. If implemented, this device has the potential to ease the burden on healthcare systems by allowing physicians to remotely monitor patient vitals in an organized manner.