SBIR Phase II: Smartphone Automated External Defibrillator

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to save lives through the miniaturization of automated external defibrillators (AED) integrated with smartphones. Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) kills more than 320,000 Americans a year outside of the hospital. An SCA can cause death if it is not treated in minutes. If an AED is available, it can save a person's life. Unfortunately, today’s AEDs are often not available outside of buildings or large population centers and are too big to easily transport outside of an emergency situation, and thus they often arrive too late for a victim. This research creates a new type of AED designed to function as a personal device, small enough to be carried everywhere and securely connected to the Internet through smartphone integration. These next-generation AEDs will save lives by making them available when and where they are needed. These units will be a lightweight addition to an EMT, soldier’s, or park ranger’s emergency kit as a simple and lifesaving addition to everyone’s smartphone. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will advance translation of a novel AED. Specific activities include methods to develop language support; creation of new channels for ECG transmission to emergency rooms and catheter labs prior to patient arrival; and integration with telecommunication systems used by emergency response personnel (e.g., 911). This project will optimize the trade space between form factor and performance, using systems engineering methodologies for verification and validation of the proposed solution. 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.