This project aims to develop a non-invasive body worn device able to monitor blood pressure (BP) continuously in real time. Currently, blood pressure is measured intermittently using a cuff placed around a person’s arm. The project proposes new sensing techniques for blood pressure measurement based on capturing pulse transit time in the central arteries using a combination of electrical bio-impedance, electrocardiogram (ECG), and continuous wave radar. Coupled with other vital parameters including heart rate, heart rhythm, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation, the device enables remote monitoring with wireless connectivity and has many advantages over the traditional wired monitoring methods currently used in healthcare environment.

Microfluidics promises to enable diagnosis of medical diseases using devices which perform laboratory experiments but on a scale which means the entire system can be hand-held. Whilst the fabrication of miniaturised fluidic channels is well established, the challenge is to bring additional functions onto the chip reducing the reliance on external pumps and electronics. This facility will allow the characterisation of technologies which address on-chip sample preparation using pulsed ultrasonic waves, filtration and pumping using nanofluidic structures, and detection using on-chip circuitry. As such the facility will have the capability to directly address the challenges which must be met to allow diagnosis in rural underprivileged areas.