SBIR Phase II: Smartphone-based blood pressure monitoring via the oscillometric finger pressing method

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to improve on-demand, low-cost blood pressure monitoring. High blood pressure (BP) is a major cardiovascular risk factor affecting up to 1 billion people worldwide. It is treatable, yet hypertension awareness and control is not common. Ubiquitous BP monitoring could improve hypertension management but existing devices require an inflatable cuff and are inconvenient for on-demand BP measurement. The market for a portable, cuff-less blood pressure monitor is estimated in the tens of billions of dollars. This project will develop a technology for portable, convenient BP monitoring. The proposed project will advance a novel technology for blood pressure monitoring. The proposed device uses the standard oscillometric finger-pressing method, but instead of using an inflated cuff, the user presses a finger against a sensor to determine the blood pressure. This program will advance the hardware, algorithm, and associated app. The R&D plan includes optimizing the sensing technology to accommodate a wide range of finger sizes; miniaturization of the hardware; optimization of the algorithm for a broad range of low, normotensive and hypertensive users; and development of the app user interface. 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.