SBIR Phase I: A Tech-Enabled Urinary Catheter for Patients with Neurogenic Bladder Dysfunction

The broader impact/commercial potential of this small business innovation research (SBIR) Phase 1 project will be to revolutionize the lives of the millions of patients currently using multiple urinary catheters per day due to severe bladder dysfunctions from nervous system damage. The current standard of care is associated with a poor quality of life and frequent hospitalizations due to life-threatening infections linked to the sensory issues of this population. The proposed project restores these patients' ability to sense, enabling a significant decrease in mortality and costs (~$12B/yr). The proposed technology will allow these patients normal relief and fewer hospitalizations by using an app enabled with artificial intelligence (AI). This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a wireless communication circuit and downstream AI algorithms to advise patients of the need for relief, and alerting both patients and clinicials to the presence of a urinary tract infection in real time to enable an early intervention. In addition, the technology is directly applicable to all urinary catheters used in the hospital setting, where they are a major source of costs and mortality. 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.