New Delhi: Scientists have developed a simple, low cost clip who uses a smartphone camera and flash to control blood pressure in it user’s fingertip. The clip developed by researchers from the University of California (UC) San Diego, USA, works with a custom smartphone app and currently costs around 80 cents (5.6 rupees) to make.
The researchers estimate that the cost could be as low as 10 cents (0.7 rupees) each when manufactured at scale. The technology, described in the scientific reports magazineit could help make regular blood pressure monitoring easy, affordable and accessible for people in low-income communities, they said.
It could benefit older adults and pregnant women, for example, in managing conditions such as hypertensionaccording to the researchers.
“We have created an inexpensive solution to lower the barrier of blood pressure control,” said study first author Yinan Xuan, a doctoral student at UC San Diego.
“Because of their low cost, these clips can be given to anyone who needs them but can’t get to a clinic regularly,” said study lead author Edward Wang, a professor at the UC San Diego and director of the Digital Health Laboratory.
Another key advantage of the clip is that it doesn’t need to be calibrated with a cuff, the researchers said. “This is what sets our device apart from other blood pressure monitors,” Wang said.
He explained that other non-bracelet systems being developed for smartwatches and smartphones require obtaining a separate set of measurements with a bracelet so that their models can be adjusted to fit these measurements.
“Ours is a calibration-free system, which means you can use our device without touching another blood pressure monitor to get a reliable blood pressure reading,” Wang said.
To measure blood pressure, the user simply presses the clip with their fingertip. TO custom smartphone app it guides the user on how hard and how long to press during the measurement.
The clip is a 3D printed plastic accessory that is placed on a smartphone camera and flash Features an optical design similar to that of a pinhole camera. When the user presses the clip, the smartphone’s flash illuminates the fingertip.
That light is then projected through a pinhole-sized channel toward the camera as an image of a red circle. A spring inside the clip allows the user to press with different levels of force. The longer the user presses, the larger the red circle appears on the camera.
The smartphone app pulls two main pieces of information from the red circle. By looking at the size of the circle, the app can measure the amount of pressure the user’s fingertip applies.
By looking at the brightness of the circle, the app can measure the volume of blood flowing in and out of the fingertip. An algorithm converts this information into systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings.
The researchers tested the clip on 24 volunteers at the UC San Diego Medical Center. The results were comparable to those obtained with a blood pressure cuff.
“Using a standard blood pressure cuff can be difficult to place correctly, and this solution has the potential to make it easier for older adults to self-monitor blood pressure,” said study co-author Alison Moore, from the School of Medicine. from the University of California at San Diego. Medicine.
