Microcontroller-Based Instruments for Medical Use
Students use Arduino microcontrollers to measure heart rate and blood oxygen levels with the MAX30102 sensor boardCopyright Islam, Tasnim & Imtiaz, Hafiz. (2023). Privacy Preserving Heart Rate Estimation from ECG and PPG Signals for Application in Remote Healthcare. 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3448229/v1.
Students use Arduino microcontrollers to measure heart rate and blood oxygen levels with the MAX30102 sensor board and to capture electrocardiogram (ECG) signals using the AD8232 sensor board. They analyze the data to detect arrhythmias by comparing results from both sensors. Throughout the activity, students gain hands-on experience with installing the Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE), adding libraries, compiling code, and running programs on Arduino microcontrollers.
Engineers use microcontrollers and sensors to develop diagnostic tools for healthcare applications. These devices are often portable, compact, low-cost, and energy-efficient. In addition to these advantages, they offer accurate and precise real-time data. Engineers apply mathematical formulas to analyze this data and calculate key values that assist doctors in diagnosing various medical conditions. This type of work falls under biomedical engineering, a field that combines electrical, mechanical, chemical, and materials engineering with biology to design and improve medical technologies. Examples of biomedical instruments include patient monitors (such as ECG, heart rate, and oxygen sensors), thermometers, infant incubators, anesthesia machines, ventilators, defibrillators, electrosurgical units, dialysis machines, syringe pumps, and physiological monitoring systems.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe the timing and peaks of the electrocardiogram (ECG) signal in relation to heart muscle function.
- Capture heart rate, blood oxygen level, and ECG signals using sensors.
- Calculate heart rate from the ECG signal.