<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-rock-engineering-challenge" target="_blank">The ROCK Engineering Challenge</a> invited engineers, entrepreneurs, inventors, and developers to submit an idea for a part, product, or system that took advantage of the <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/specs/radxa-x-okdo-rock-4c" target="_blank">ROCK single-board computers</a>.&nbsp;We received a significant number of submissions from across the globe, impressed with cutting-edge applications of single-board computers.&nbsp;The Wevolver Community Vote winner was <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-rock-engineering-challenge-finalists-and-community-vote" target="_blank">selected by our community through a public poll</a>. The Wevolver community winners of the OKdo challenge are Marcel Ochsendorf and Sebastian Kindorf, who are developing a thermal imaging medical device.&nbsp;This product is designed to aid medical facilities by using a thermal imaging camera to non-invasively record a patient&#39;s status. The system can determine breathing status, frequency, body temperature, and movements like falls, alerting medical staff when necessary.Wevolver&rsquo;s Content Director, Jessica Miley, interviewed Marcel and Sebastian to learn more about their engineering careers, what motivated them to enter the challenge, and the plans for their ideas. Jessica Miley: Hi team. Thanks for speaking with us. Let&rsquo;s start by getting you guys to introduce yourselves. Marcel Ochsendorf: My name is Marcel. I am currently a Master&#39;s student in my final semester. I have a Computer Science Bachelor and am now doing electrical engineering in my Master&#39;s. I love doing engineering projects, and I have attended several hackathons and so on in the past.Sebastian Kindorf: I&#39;m Sebastian. After I completed an apprenticeship as an electrician, I decided to continue with a Bachelor&#39;s degree, also in electrical engineering, and then graduated with my Master&rsquo;s degree in April. Afterwards I worked for two months in Morocco on an automation project for sustainable irrigation.Jessica Miley: How did you two meet and start working on this project together?Sebastian Kindorf: We met when we were both working at <a href="https://home.cern/" target="_blank">CERN</a>- the International Research Center in Switzerland. We actually met accidentally, and after we talked a little bit, we realized we were on the same wavelength. He [Marcel] makes a lot of electronic projects and so do I. After a few weeks, I said, &ldquo;Okay, I think we should start a project together.&rdquo; We had a few ideas, then I saw Wevolver had this engineering challenge and we decided to enter. So we went to a restaurant, drank two beers and did some brainstorming!Marcel Ochsendorf: This project was born out of an experience that I had doing some work as an IT engineer in a hospital a few years ago. This hospital had problems with monitoring patients because it is really <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/collaborative-machine-learning-that-preserves-privacy" target="_blank">data-sensitive</a>. In Germany, data is very regulated. For example, you cannot record a patient and then analyse it. So it&#39;s really challenging to create a device for <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/can-remote-patient-monitoring-improve-the-quality-of-healthcare" target="_blank">remote patient monitoring</a>. We had the idea to use a thermal camera to take a video feed anonymously, sSo you only have an abstract grayscale image with temperature information. Its not possible to clearly identify a person out of this captured image but it is possible to detect the patient&#39;s body (position, vital signs) so that patient monitoring can be done without violating the patient&#39;s personal rights and that the patient may feel uncomfortable by the &quot;monitoring&quot;.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk1MjA2MTUyMTU1LU5DUE1TeXNfcHJvdG90eXBlICgyKS5wbmciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The remote patient monitoring device prototype.&nbsp;Jessica Miley: So the product addresses a problem that health institutions have of keeping an eye on a large number of patients - your product can monitor key health aspects such as breathing etc. - &nbsp;without needing staff to be everywhere at once?Marcel Ochsendorf: Yes. In Germany, and likely other countries, hospitals are very understaffed. So it&rsquo;s a good solution to monitor patients without additional staff. Currently, patients are monitored by being physically attached to machines, for example, heart rate and oxygen via a finger clip.&nbsp;Jessica Miley: How does the product actually work?Sebastian Kindorf: The product primarily relies on two different sensor signals for its functioning.First, a thermal camera is utilized to record the patient&#39;s body temperature. Each individual has a unique &quot;healthy&quot; body temperature range, and deviations from this range can indicate potentially dangerous conditions such as hypothermia or fever. Monitoring body temperature serves as an essential indicator for determining if a patient requires closer examination.Secondly, a regular imaging camera, combined with specific evaluation algorithms, is used to derive additional parameters such as respiratory status, respiratory rate, heart rate, heart rate variability, and patient positioning. This information can provide insights into potential falls from the bed. To determine heart rate and heart rate variability, we employ remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) technology. The rPPG analyzes color changes in the skin to extract cardiovascular information.By simply transferring patient data, the hard-working healthcare workers should eventually be relieved.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk1MjA2MTc2MDcxLU5DUE1TeXNfcHJvdG90eXBlX2JhY2t3aXRoUm9jayAoMikucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The device aims to reduce the workload of health care workers.&nbsp;Jessica Miley: What kind of technical hurdles have you faced, and how did you overcome them or what? How did using the ROCK hardware assist in that?Marcel Ochsendorf: The main goal is to do all the sensor processing locally. In addition, secure encryption algorithms must be used. This way, no sensitive data is left on a device or forwarded to personnel. The complete evaluation runs locally on the device and only status information leaves the device. This is to comply with the strict requirement of data protection guidelines.&nbsp;Sebastian Kindorf: The Rock chip has a very good GPU and thus good possibilities for processing by algorithms or trained AIs. Image processing is therefore much faster on the Rock chip than on a Raspberry Pi, for example, where only a few frames per second of high definition image data can be processed. Additionally, ROCK&#39;s single board computers were also available during the Covid19 pandemic, compared to many other SBCs which were not.&nbsp;Jessica Miley: Can you say a little bit about your plans for the future with this project? I know that you had said in your submission that you had spoken to one hospital about doing a test. So maybe you can talk a little bit about your plans to scale.Marcel Ochsendorf: Yes, we have talked to one hospital in Germany. It&rsquo;s the institution I used to work for, so I have some contacts there. Once we finalize our prototype, the hospital has offered to give us some room or an environment to set up and test. This is an opportunity for us if we progress further and are confident that the system is fully working. Then we will have the opportunity to test it there.&nbsp;Jessica Miley: What other resources do you need to do that? What are the challenges ahead, apart from perhaps needing time?Sebastian Kindorf: We are implementing the project following the V-model methodology. The Concept of Operation (CoP) phase is complete, and we are now in the requirements and architecture phase. We are specifying the prototype and final product requirements and concretizing the device implementation. The hardware components for the final system have been determined, ordered, and will undergo step-by-step testing soon.I think we have an edge, and the device has a huge potential, even if we just say we only want to have it in intensive care.&nbsp;Jessica Miley: Final question: What advice would you give to other engineers who are developing novel projects like yours?&nbsp;Marcel Ochsendorf: Be creative. Here in the university context, people are afraid of trying things and wrecking things.&nbsp;Marcel Ochsendorf: You can&#39;t get some experience if you don&#39;t try it. Okay, this can break but at least you tried. Okay, this breaks. Okay, then it&#39;s fine. Then go on to the next iterations. I think this is a very good approach to build rather than overly plan. So, planning is good, but it&#39;s not everything!Jessica Miley: I love that approach; just trying something is as important as planning! And what about you, Sebastian? Do you have some advice?Sebastian Kindorf: I agree; if you don&#39;t try, you don&#39;t get experience. I also think you should make the most of being a student, because you have nothing to lose!Jessica: Thanks guys - this was a great conversation - we really look forward to following your journey with this project.&nbsp;

In response to the OKDo Engineering Challenge, Marcel Ochsendorf and Sebastian Kindorf developed a medical device that uses thermal imaging for remote patient monitoring. Their innovative project won the Wevolver Community Vote. 


Thermal imaging for remote patient monitoring: Winners of the OKdo Engineering Challenge Wevolver Community Vote

In a world often defined by disparities in healthcare access, Victoria Hand Project, a Canadian charity, is a beacon of hope. Founded in 2015 with the mission to provide accessible 3D-printed prosthetic care to under-resourced communities around the world, Victoria Hand Project has transformed lives by combining cutting-edge technology with compassionate outreach.

Hands for Ukraine: The Victoria Hand Project's 3D Printing Initiative to Democratize Access to Prosthetic Care in Ukraine

On 16 May, the world came to High Tech Campus Eindhoven to celebrate women in tech, their male allies and to get a preview of what the future holds.&nbsp;They were not disappointed.The theme of the fourth annual Fe+male Tech conference was &ldquo;Dare to Grow,&rdquo; and that was the consistent message from speakers: be bold, embrace risk and find your career path in a tech world where women in leadership roles are still a rarity. Or, as ASML&rsquo;s Wendy Gehoel van Ansem put it, an event meant to send you away &ldquo;confident so that you kick ass.&rdquo; If you think women don&rsquo;t belong in tech and STEM jobs, we know 300 women who&rsquo;d passionately disagree.&nbsp;More than 300 women, as well as male allies, came from the Netherlands, other countries in Europe and the United States for the sellout event.Watch the recording of the plenary program here:<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BmPFVFMz8Mo?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe>They came to hear 30 speakers and panel members, including Lori Glover from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology&rsquo;s Computer Science Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Kimberly Fuqua from Microsoft Netherlands, workshops, panels and off-the-charts networking. Also participating were executives from Eindhoven&rsquo;s signature tech corporations, including Moyra McManus and Marco Pieters from ASML, the Eindhoven-based semiconductor giant.<h2>Trailblazing Women Throughout History</h2>With her keynote &quot;She Who Dares, Wins: Women Leading Fearlessly in Tech,&rdquo; Glover set the tone early, revealing some of the unsung female tech heroes whose trailblazing achievements never got the recognition they should have. They included Hedy Lamarr, the 1930s movie star who invented the frequency-hopping signal that makes wi-fi, Bluetooth and GPS possible, and the women at the Jet Propulsion Lab who did the high-level mathematics and trajectory calculations that made space exploration possible. These are the women who were actually referred to as &ldquo;computers.&rdquo;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk0NjkwMzc1MTA0LWlLWXBJUURBLndlYnAiLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Lori Glover of MIT&nbsp;Glover advised the current generation of women in tech to take full advantage of new opportunities opening up at tech companies: &ldquo;When you go to meetings, take a seat at the table, not along the wall.&rdquo;Then, Glover opened a new chapter in Eindhoven&rsquo;s history by inviting attendees to connect directly with her and her CSAIL program at MIT, the legendary engineering school that&rsquo;s home to dozens of world-class scientists and Nobel Prize laureates, including Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the Internet. Glover also gave a detailed presentation about MIT and CSAIL at the AI Innovation Center as part of the conference.THAT was just the beginning of the day.In 1988, 35 years ago, women earned 33 percent of computer science degrees, but that fell to less than 20 percent by 2016. Women have only about 30 percent of top jobs in tech. More women are going into tech, but half drop out by age 35. Why are women dropping out? Glover asked. &ldquo;Why aren&rsquo;t women moving up?&rdquo;<h2>Tech to Career: Exploring Breakout Sessions</h2>Conference attendees chose to attend one of six tech and seven career breakout sessions led by inspiring women in their fields and included topics such as data science, personalized medicine, wearable devices and cancer research. A panel of deep-tech female founders talked about the challenges and rewards of their venture journeys. As usual, attendees found it hard to choose only one breakout session!Career breakout topics included imposter syndrome, exhaustion, personal presence, equality for bi-cultural women, confidence boosting and how to be an effective role model. Several presentations and workshops addressed the unique career challenges women in tech face, including the career penalty for taking time out of the workforce. Glover cited statistics and trends indicating so much more has to be done.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk0NjkwNDQxMTE3LTFHOEE3OTE5LndlYnAiLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Diana M&auml;kel &nbsp;(Thermo Fisher) during her Tech Breakout about data science<h2 id="isPasted">Fix the system, not the girls</h2>Sahar Yadegari and Rian de Heur from VHTO led a workshop on how we can &ldquo;Fix the system, not the girls&rdquo; so more females can be inspired by science and technology from an early age. With women only making up 16 percent of the Dutch STEM workforce and the Netherlands ranking No. 1 in strongest gender stereotypes, their talk was hard-hitting and eye-opening.Many audience members shared deeply personal stories about their experiences fighting gender bias with their children. With advice ranging from women in tech being more visible to encouraging a growth mindset in children, every attendee walked away with valuable insights and actionable tasks.The day was not just about corporates, even though Eindhoven is home to multiple dominant semiconductor companies such as ASML and NXP. It was also about a new generation of female entrepreneurs at startups and scale-ups.<h2>Spectrometer-In-A-Chip</h2>Kaylee Hakkel, COO of MantiSpectra, said her company is taking the functionality of a spectrometer and shrinking it down to the size of a chip. When trained with AI and a robust database, this deep-tech solution uses light to detect various types of materials, and it will be used to solve societal challenges, problems from detecting what type of plastic is pulled from the ocean to quality control in food and beverage to sampling illegal drugs.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk0NjkwNDkwNjI1LTFHOEE3OTM0LndlYnAiLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Kaylee Hakkel (MantiSpectra)&nbsp;At only 28 years old, Kaylee already has a wealth of experience from being a startup co-founder. Her talk drew an audience of women that filled the room and who asked probing questions about the science and applicability of MantiSpectra&rsquo;s solution.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk0NjkwNTE5MTI2LTFHOEE3NDQ1LndlYnAiLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><h3 id="isPasted">Here are some highlights from the day, curated by conference attendees:</h3><ul><li>Lori Glover noted that leaders&nbsp;aren&rsquo;t necessarily bosses. Leaders are people with intelligent, curious minds and the vision to see what&rsquo;s possible. They have exceptional communication skills and the ability to inspire. They show responsibility and share credit with others. </li><li>In her keynote, Microsoft&rsquo;s Kimberly Fuqua told attendees that women in tech shouldn&rsquo;t underestimate the human touch. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t call them soft skills anymore. Call them superpower skills,&rdquo; she said. </li><li>Fuqua advised continually reevaluating your relationships. &ldquo;Take note of the energy of the relationship. You are responsible for the energy you bring to the relationship and the energy you take away from it.&quot;</li></ul><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk0NjkwNTM5MDc4LTFHOEE4MjI1LndlYnAiLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Kimberly Fuqua (Microsoft)&nbsp;<ul id="isPasted"><li>ASML executives and others noted that while men tend not to take &ldquo;no&rdquo; for an answer, reapplying over and over for jobs they were rejected for until they get it, women typically only apply once or twice. </li><li>The male allies panel featured Marco Pieters, ASML; Andy L&uuml;rling, LUMO Labs; Johan Feenstra, SMART Photonics and Ed Heerschap, City of Eindhoven. Eindhoven-based serial entrepreneur Johan Feenstra told the audience during the panel discussion,&nbsp;&ldquo;We need to pay the role and not the person.&rdquo; Feenstra said women and highly skilled internationals often don&rsquo;t negotiate and fall behind when it comes to salary. </li><li>Ed Heerschap, Living In Program Coordinator for the city of Eindhoven, noted that families are crucial to Eindhoven&rsquo;s tech talent shortage because many highly skilled internationals won&rsquo;t come unless they can bring spouses and families.</li></ul><h2>Conference Donates to Gender Diversity Cause</h2>The fourth edition of the Fe+male Tech Heroes conference marked the first time organizers charged for the conference. Attendees paid &euro;30 for a day full of amazing speakers, meaningful content, great food and networking while also contributing to a worthy cause. More than 80 percent of ticket sales went to VHTO, a Dutch foundation and Expertise Center that actively champions and empowers Gender Diversity in STEM, Engineering, and IT.And it wasn&rsquo;t just the attendees with key takeaways. Keynote speakers and breakout session speakers also saw great value in the conference.&nbsp;&ldquo;The best word I can use to describe about how I felt about the conference is GRATEFUL!! The atmosphere was so electric, the people and other presenters were so encouraging with a learning and curious mindset. I will make this event one of my annual &#39;not to miss&#39; going forward,&rdquo; said Kimberly Fuqua.Keynote speaker Dan Jing Wu, CEO and Co-Founder VivArt-X and co-founder of fashion company NOYA NOIR,&nbsp;said &quot;I&#39;m so impressed with the organization and the audience was so kind and responsive. It gave me so much energy!&rdquo;And that&rsquo;s a wrap! Watch this space and mark your calendars for other Fe+male Tech Heroes events. If you&rsquo;re not already a member, join the <a href="https://insights.hightechcampus.com/female-tech-heroes" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Fe+male Tech Heroes community</a> and stay updated about news and events!<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk0NjkwNTY2MzY1LTFHOEE4MzY4LTIud2VicCIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Hilde de Vocht (Fe+male Tech Heroes), Rian van Heur (VHTO), Sahar Yadegari (VHTO), Ingelou Stol (Fe+male Tech Heroes)&nbsp;

On 16 May, the world came to High Tech Campus Eindhoven to celebrate women in tech, their male allies and to get a preview of what the future holds. 

Breaking Barriers and Forging Paths: Key Lessons from the Fe+male Tech Heroes Conference 2023

<h2 id="isPasted">Mining is still a very hazardous industry</h2>Despite an enormous effort and a significant reduction in fatality rates, mining remains one of the most hazardous industries for workers. However, new technologies are starting a safety revolution, while simultaneously fueling the mining industry&rsquo;s digital transformation. Mining has long been characterized by strenuous work carried out in demanding environments underground and at surface facilities and pits. In addition to the natural environment, miners also interact with large and complex equipment, processing and preparation plant control systems, as well as myriad other systems with perceptual and cognitive demands that are required to operate a mine. The fit between miners&rsquo; capabilities and limitations and the demands of these work systems is a focus of ergonomics, which seeks to optimize human performance (including productivity, health, and safety).Underground mining workers are affected by many hazards &ndash; from ventilation problems, mine flooding, gas explosions, ceiling collapsing, mine haulage, sudden inrushes and mine inundation, spontaneous combustion, to unoptimized evacuation routes. And mine operators have been working for decades to ensure no fatal accident results in death, injury, or poor health of miners. Improvements in the mining industry have resulted in a decrease in injuries and fatalities. According to the US Mine Safety and Health Administration, only for first decade of the century the fatality rate per 200,000 hours worked has decreased 44%. Among China&rsquo;s many millions of mine workers, the number of yearly fatalities in mining has fallen steadily from 6 995 in 2002 to 1 384 in 2012. The decreasing number of fatalities in formal mining is accompanied by decreasing fatality and accident rates, due partly to improved safety measures. However, mining is still ranked high amongst the formal economy sectors for leading fatality rates in many countries.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1693993252051-1636548097598.jfif" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Figure 1: US fatality statistic by industry (Source)<h2 id="isPasted">The human factor has a huge impact</h2>Technological advancements have successfully decreased the number of injuries and fatalities, but these numbers continue to remain unacceptably high. In an effort to further reduce fatality and injury rates,&nbsp;the role of human error in accidents and incidents was studied. Generally, human error is defined as the failure to complete a required task (or execute a forbidden action) that could lead to the interruption of normally scheduled actions, damage to assets or compromise safety. According to Caterpillar Global Mining and Equipment in open-pit mining, around 65% of truck haulage accidents are directly related to drivers feeling tired or exhausted.&nbsp;Studies showed that human factors contribute to 80% of accidents in high-hazard industries. Specifically, in Queensland mines, Australia for the period 2004 &ndash; 08, 95% of incidents and accidents were associated with human error, in particular failures in situation awareness, attention and procedural responses. Fatigue within mining operations is a leading contributor to 60-70% of human error incidents.The current mining system is a people system and even the most advanced technologies and innovations require operators and maintainers not only with significant knowledge and skills but first of all in proper health conditions to implement their duties and to minimize the potential for crucial human errors. The advent of advanced&nbsp;data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), sensors, wearables, and AI&nbsp;are driving mining safety and helping maintain regulatory compliance. In addition, these technologies help mining organizations to become more proactive in managing daily operations and mitigating risks. Wearable technologies can be employed to assess the health and wellbeing of workers and provide essential support and assistance whenever it is required.Wearables will influence human behavior and transform mining safetyA range of wearable tech devices can assist with improving safety, but the principal method is through the addition of sensors. Whether they are incorporated through smart glasses, smart watches, smart helmets, smart jackets etc., the ability to measure various internal and external health risks can prove invaluable for mining companies.Smart wearables convert everyday objects into personal assistants that can transform mining safety. Powered by technologies that account for the nuances of the mining environment, wearable devices are transforming how data is gathered and how mining companies can visualize their workforce. These devices and sensors have to be ruggedized, ergonomically designed and unobtrusive, have ingress-protection for operation in real-world jobsites, as well as offer intrinsically safe variants for hazardous locations.Such wearables can also enhance core safety features and make SOS alerts, fall detection, man-down, proximity detection and enhance the workers&#39; situational awareness and improve emergency response.Cloud, AI, and Machine Learning are other technologies driving safety revolution in mining by upping data capabilities and providing context-relevant information to users at the point of work. All these technologies drive analytics, enable preventive maintenance, and assist in the proactive identification of emerging issues. When&nbsp;coupled with wearables and sensor networks, these technologies help mining companies identify potential hotspots, safety anomalies, and calculate emerging trends.Wearable technology is used to efficiently track the employees during work. Using location-based technologies and wireless connectivity, the device can feed a worker&rsquo;s real-time location to the onshore monitoring center. They can play an important role in combating Covid-19 by combining essential ways of contact tracing, symptom prediction, temperature monitoring, and patient surveillance. Apart from tracking and notifying the potential of Covid-19 exposure, wearables help workers in following social distancing norms.<blockquote>With all our understanding of the human factor impact on safety, risks associated with stress, fatigue, and health problems; with aging population and growing proportion of safety incidents in the group of over 50 due to mentioned risks; we are sure that with the wave of digital transformation smart wearables will become as essential personal protective equipment unit as a hard hat or protective glasses.Sergey Ivanov, GearEx smart wristband Solution Architect.</blockquote><h2 id="isPasted">But there are some obstacles</h2>At the same time, introducing wearable technology to the mining industry&nbsp;has barriers and limitations to implementation.&nbsp;Some of the main&nbsp;barriers hindering the use of wearable devices in the mining industry are: <ul><li>Relatively high cost of smart industrial wearable devices currently on offer.</li><li>Lack of reliability and protection in harsh mining conditions, especially in underground mining</li><li>Information security and data privacy concerns, since the private information about the biological parameters of an employee received by wearable devices is transmitted and summarized.</li><li>Need of reliable underground data networks to support the adoption, development and maximum utilization of wearable technologies and the Internet of Things</li></ul> GearEx is the solutionGearEx&nbsp;Health and Safety IoT Platform and its core element &ndash; smart biometric wristband &ndash; were built not only to bring state of art technologies to mine safety, but also to address these deployment and adaptation barriers.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1693993328738-1636547495145.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">GearEx is focused on early prevention and mitigation of safety and health condition risks. It allows to monitor heart rate and its variability, blood oxygen saturation, skin temperature, physical activity patterns and location.Fatigue, distress, intoxication, blood pressure drops and spikes, myocardial infarction, falls, and impacts are examples of conditions and circumstances the embedded algorithms and machine learning models differentiate and assess.The wristband is also equipped with an SOS alarm button and voice communication with the dispatcher.Not merely it allows to prevent certain hazardous situations but also helps maintain a high level of alertness and awareness both for personnel and health and safety business functions.Besides that, the usage of the GearEx smart wristband in the mining industry has the following advantages: <ul><li>The wristband form factor itself. Unlike other types of intelligent wearable devices (smart helmets, headphones, vests, reality glasses, etc.), the wristband does not disturb current PPE control processes. It does not transform PPEs from standard consumables into expensive devices, which are themselves susceptible to damage and failure in harsh mining conditions. The use of GearEx does not cause any difficulties, since it is put on and off independently of clothing and PPE and provides continuous biometric data processing.</li><li>Full compliance of GearEx with mining equipment explosion safety standards, which is the main barrier for many wearable devices offered on the market.</li><li>High impact resistance and water and dust protection, which is absolutely essential in rough mining conditions. The absence of a screen and a metal frame at the base of the case are critical advantages for work in mines where solutions based on smartphones and fitness trackers are practically inapplicable.</li><li>The GearEx wristband is a true edge device which processes biometrics and other data locally and transmits only alarms and notifications to a cloud. Confidential data disclosure while using the wristband due to possible leakage via the Internet, accidentally or as a result of malicious acts, is practically excluded.</li></ul><blockquote>Our idea was to create a kind of safe buddy who is always with you during work shift; caring out and looking after; alerting in case of danger or calling for emergency help when needed. It should be comfortable, durable, safe, and reliable at the same time; should stay on during the whole shift; should guarantee the delivery of safety-critical data in a secure and consistent manner. It was not an easy task. But I think we did it well!Nikita Kalinovskiy, GearEx R&amp;D Director</blockquote>In view of the above, with all the variety of solutions available on the market today, the use of the GearEx smart wristband in the mining industry to improve safety looks very promising.<hr>References1. &nbsp;Patrick G. Dempsey, Lydia M. Kocher, Mahiyar F. Nasarwanji, Jonisha P. Pollard, and Ashley E. Whitson, Emerging Ergonomics Issues and Opportunities in Mining,&nbsp;Int J Environ Res Public Health.&nbsp;2018 Nov; 15(11): 2449.2. &nbsp;Utsav Patel, Safer, healthier, and productive environment: the promise of smart wearables for miners,&nbsp;Softweb Solutions Inc., January 22nd, 2019,&nbsp;Available online: https://www.softwebsolutions.com/resources/smart-wearables-for-miners.html3. &nbsp;Anshita Solanki,&nbsp;Improving worker safety with live fatigue monitoring powered by ML and connected devices,&nbsp;Softweb Solutions Inc., December 28th, 2018, Available online:&nbsp;https://www.softwebsolutions.com/resources/live-fatigue-monitoring-by-ml.html4. &nbsp;Smart Mines: The 6 Benefits of Making Your Mine Digital, Worldsensing, Available online:&nbsp;https://blog.worldsensing.com/mining/smart-mines-benefits/5. &nbsp;Smart wristband with link to smartphones could monitor health, environmental exposures.&nbsp;Microsystems &amp; Nanoengineering Journal, News release&nbsp;6-AUG-20186. &nbsp;Carly Leonida,&nbsp;Why aren&rsquo;t wearables ore widely used in mining?, The Intelligent Miner, 24th July 20197. &nbsp;Future of mining with wearables: Harnessing the hype to improve safety, Deloitte/NORCAT, www.deloitte.ca.,&ldquo;Deloitte and NORCAT&mdash;Collaborating to explore the future of mining&rdquo;8. &nbsp;Technologies Driving a Safety Revolution in Mining, Guardhat, blog,&nbsp;Available online:&nbsp;https://www.guardhat.com/blog/technologies-driving-safety-revolution-mining/#9. &nbsp;Wearable Technology: Impact of Wearable&nbsp;Tech in mining, By GlobalData Thematic Research, Mining Technology 22 Mar 202110. Improving Safety Through Wearable Technology,&nbsp;MineArc Systems,&nbsp;11 December 2020, Available online: https://minearc.com/improving-safety-through-wearable-technology/11.&nbsp;Denis Hazbic,&nbsp;Reducing incidents through human factors,&nbsp;Australasian Mine Safety Journal, January 29, 202012.&nbsp;Anna Savunen,&nbsp;Heli Pirhonen,&nbsp;Human factor management is part of incident prevention and overall Health and Safety Management,&nbsp;AFRY, 28/04/202013.&nbsp;Mokhinabonu Mardonova, Yosoon Choi,&nbsp;Review of Wearable Device Technology and Its Applications to the Mining Industry,&nbsp;Energies 2018, 11, 54714. <a href="https://gearex.co.uk/" target="_blank">https://gearex.co.uk</a>

Despite an enormous effort and a significant reduction in fatality rates, mining remains one of the most hazardous industries for workers. However, new technologies are starting a safety revolution, while simultaneously fueling the mining industry’s digital transformation.

Wearable Technology Improves Safety and Significantly Reduces Mining Accidents

Sensors to monitor and regulate indoor air quality can have a positive impact on home, work, and school environments. Image Source: EPA 

Air Quality Indexes (AQIs) are used to measure the concentration of pollutants like particulate matter and other harmful substances in the air outside. 

Breathing Better: Using Environmental Sensors to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Harnessing the Power of TinyML and Machine Learning: A Deep Dive into Modern Healthcare Innovations


Revolutionizing Healthcare: The Profound Impact of TinyML and Machine Learning on Medical Outcomes

Women represent half of the global population. Yet inexplicably, there has long been a concerning lack of focus&mdash;and for that matter, funding, and innovation&mdash;aimed at the biological needs of women of reproductive and post-reproductive age.Fortunately, a positive shift is taking place towards more advanced and specific digital healthcare for women. The so-called &lsquo;femtech&rsquo; (female technology) industry has belatedly begun to deliver on the promise of solutions using wireless connectivity to help address women&rsquo;s health issues.<h2>A global healthcare challenge</h2>All over the world, billions of women face a plethora of health-related challenges &ndash; from reproductive health, pregnancy, and maternal care to exclusively female chronic diseases like cervical and breast cancer, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and endometriosis (growth of endometrial tissue outside of the uterus) &ndash; a disease associated with severe, debilitating pelvic pain and infertility among other symptoms. According to the World Health Organization, endometriosis affects roughly ten percent (190 million) of reproductive-age women and girls globally.Other chronic diseases, such as osteoporosis, arthritis, and hypertension, while impacting both genders, are more prevalent in women and must be managed differently. On average, 38 percent of women worldwide suffer from a chronic disease, accounting for one-third of female mortality.Meanwhile, at a broader healthcare level, women need better access to appropriate health services and treatment options while overcoming gender inequalities that exist throughout society, such as underrepresentation in medical trials. Put simply, women&rsquo;s health should be one of the world&rsquo;s biggest concerns.<h2>Gender bias in healthcare</h2>However, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that it requires special attention, women&rsquo;s healthcare is too often mistakenly treated as a &lsquo;niche&rsquo; market.That&rsquo;s despite women in the U.S. making around 80 percent of the healthcare decisions for themselves and their families, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. What&rsquo;s more, health spending during women&rsquo;s reproductive years is significantly higher than their male peers; for example, in 2019, average annual health spending for women aged 19 to 34 was more than double that of men in the same age range (data from the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker).Yet women&rsquo;s health accounts for&nbsp;a mere four percent of the overall funding&nbsp;in research and development for healthcare products and services, says research firm Frost &amp; Sullivan. According to McKinsey &amp; Company, approximately one percent of healthcare research and innovation is invested in female-specific conditions beyond oncology. Rarely are statistics more damning.<h2>Healthy growth potential in healthcare</h2>There are signs of a femtech revolution, however. In 2019, the femtech industry reportedly generated $821 million in global revenue and received $592 million in venture capital investment, according to financial data and research firm PitchBook. Such figures may seem reasonable at first glance, but we must stay focused and consider that women spend an estimated $500 billion annually on medical expenses.Still, femtech is trending upwards. And not before time, especially since women are 75 percent more likely to use digital tools&nbsp;to track their health than men, according to Frost &amp; Sullivan, whose research also estimates women&rsquo;s health technology to have a&nbsp;market potential of $50 billion by 2025.Clinical diagnostics, medical device, and healthcare companies have a major opportunity to exploit this trend. More importantly, femtech can deliver vital improvements across pelvic and uterine health, urogenital and menstrual health, general health and wellbeing, nutrition, fitness, and mental health for women.<h2>Wireless solutions emerge in healthcare</h2>We are in the midst of a surge in digital healthcare solutions and wireless devices that target women&rsquo;s health &ndash; for example, tracking and monitoring menstruation, fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, and more.At CES 2023 in Las Vegas, Movano Health introduced a future iteration of its medical-grade Evie smart ring for women, which will monitor health metrics to help users better understand the timing of their menstrual cycle, including menstruation onset and ovulation windows. The device also offers support for menopausal symptoms through insights delivered to an app on a paired smartphone.As John Mastrototaro, Movano Health&rsquo;s CEO and Director, explained to TechCrunch magazine, monitoring women&rsquo;s temperature through the course of the month, as well as their heart rate, makes it possible to track and predict, for example, when the period is about to start.Elsewhere at CES 2023, Withings demonstrated a version of its hands-free home urine lab, which sits under the front rim of a toilet bowl. It monitors menstrual cycles by tracking hormone levels. The device can even help screen for bladder and ovarian cancer, the company says.<h2>A smart breast pump</h2>One example of an established ground-breaking femtech solution is a smart hands-free breast pump designed to track pumping sessions. Swiss company Medela&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2023/04/The-Freestyle-Hands-free-Breast-Pump-employs-nRF52832-SoC?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Freestyle Hands-Free Breast Pump</a> uses wireless connectivity enabled by the integrated Nordic <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/nRF52832?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nRF52832</a> SoC&rsquo;s 2.4 GHz multiprotocol radio to link with the user&rsquo;s smartphone. From the mobile, users can view their pumping session data, monitor the device&rsquo;s battery life, and record and view their freezer supply of milk.The lightweight in-bra system&mdash;made up of the pump, two collection cups, four breast shields in two different sizes, and two membranes&mdash;was designed on the back of the company&rsquo;s extensive research to optimize breast milk output and comfort, says Annette Br&uuml;ls, CEO at Medela.<h2>A fetus monitoring patch</h2>Another Nordic-powered product making a mark is a fetal heart rate and movement detector designed for use in the final trimester of pregnancy. Launched by China-based company Extant Future, the <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2022/07/The-Modoo-patch-uses-Nordics-nRF52833-SoC?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Modoo</a> patch records the fetus&#39;s heart rate using passive sonar technology, as opposed to the ultrasound Doppler method traditionally used.Modoo uses an audio sensor to detect vibration on the wearer&#39;s skin. This signal is then amplified, and the data filtered using the Nordic <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/nRF52833?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nRF52833</a> SoC&rsquo;s powerful Arm Cortex M4 processor with a floating point unit (FPU). The filtering uses algorithms that reduce background noise and track changes over time.The results are transmitted using the Nordic-enabled <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Bluetooth-Low-Energy?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluetooth LE</a> connectivity to the user&#39;s smartphone, where the fetal movement and heart rate curve are analyzed using several years&#39; worth of reference data to help identify signs of intrauterine distress, such as hypoxia. The data can also be securely relayed to the wearer&#39;s physician for further analysis.According to Jiliang Ma, Founder and CEO of Extant Future, it is common in the last months of pregnancy for expectant mothers to be required to record up to three hours of fetal movement each day. This can be an inconvenient undertaking when at home or at work. Modoo aims to provide a viable alternative for home use, says Ma.<h2>Disrupting the market for healthcare</h2>Further disruptive technologies, including AI, machine learning, big data, and the IoT, can help drive innovation in interactive digital health applications for women &ndash; particularly when it comes to prevention and screening. For instance, one study by Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, used AI for cervical screening, which proved to be several times more efficient than Pap smear and HPV tests.There is endless potential for wireless connectivity to help femtech massively disrupt the women&rsquo;s health market and improve the lives and livelihoods of women everywhere. It&rsquo;s up to the whole population&mdash;not half of it&mdash;to make this objective a reality.<hr>This article was first published on Nordic&#39;s <a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" id="isPasted"></a><a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Get Connected Blog</a>. &nbsp;

A positive shift is taking place towards more advanced and specific digital healthcare for women. The so-called ‘femtech’ (female technology) industry has belatedly begun to deliver on the promise of solutions using wireless connectivity to help address women’s health issues.

Femtech addresses the healthcare needs of women

For millennia, physicians have been the first and last line of defence against illness and disease. But now through the development of digital therapeutics (DTx), technology pioneers are joining them in the battle to save lives and improve health outcomes for countless millions.


Transforming healthcare with digital therapeutics

Article #4 of Spotlight on Innovations in Edge Computing and Machine Learning: Discover the integration of TinyML and wearable tech as we delve into a project that detects falls in real-time, potentially saving lives in our aging population.

Fall Detection with Edge AI: A TinyML Approach for Personal Safety

From sleep monitoring wearables to face detection models, tinyML is making a big impact on the way we can gather and apply data. 


Third Annual tinyML EMEA Innovation Forum: Looking deeply at real-world ML applications.

In this episode, we discuss the breakthrough research by MIT engineers to effectively deliver drugs through the skin allowing for a lower dosage of active ingredients needed per use and a potentially pill-free implementation of commonly used drugs!

Podcast: Pills No More: Patches As The Future of Drug Delivery

How IoT devices and SBCs improve the quality of life and care for elderly people


Empowering Elderly Care Solutions with IoT and SBCs

This blog comprises a collection of articles on innovation written by Hubert Martens, the CEO and founder of Salvia BioElectronics. Originally shared on LinkedIn, Martens intended to spark a conversation about innovation and introduce the innovation model he and his team developed over their careers.

Mastering the Art of Innovation: A Guide to Building Truly Valuable Solutions for a Better Future

The global medical device contract research organization market was valued at $7.21 billion in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 8.8% from 2023 to 2030. The market growth can be attributed to the growing demand for advanced medical devices, according to <a href="https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/medical-device-contract-research-organization-market-report" target="_blank">an industry research report</a>.To stay ahead of the competition in the rapidly evolving medical device industry, it is crucial to adopt effective design principles. One such principle is &quot;KISS&quot;, Keep It Simple, Stupid. This design philosophy advocates for simplicity and minimal complexity in product design. By adhering to the &quot;KISS&quot; principle, medical device designers can ensure higher levels of user acceptance and interaction. This article explores how to apply &quot;KISS&quot; principles to medical device design, providing valuable insights for staying ahead in this competitive industry.<h3 dir="ltr">1. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Reduce the Part Quantities of a Product &nbsp;</h3>For medical product design engineers, reducing the number of components and simplifying product design can significantly reduce workload and minimize design errors. The tasks involved in the development cycle of a medical product component, including concept design, concept discussions, detailed design, CAE analysis, and DFMA checks, as shown in Figure-1, are all demanding tasks. Neglect or errors in any of these stages can have fatal consequences for product quality, cost, and development timeline. Therefore, reducing the number of components and simplifying product design provides visible benefits for engineers, allowing them to allocate more time and energy to improving the quality of product design.<h3 dir="ltr">2. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Decrease Color Variations</h3>Color is a powerful tool for communication, classification, and user guidance. It can differentiate important functions (red/yellow) from safe ones (green/blue) and indicate priority levels through shades. Colors can define product sections and remind users of proper usage. They also evoke emotions, with vibrant colors energizing fitness products and warm hues promoting calmness in prenatal settings. In medical product design, color guides users by highlighting buttons and important information on screens. Using color sparingly improves usability, while excessive color can cause confusion. In both software and hardware design, color and contrast lead users to crucial areas in medical devices.<h3 dir="ltr">3. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Streamline GUI Design</h3>The increasing use of medical products in home care calls for user-friendly designs that are easy to understand and use correctly. Simplifying the design and making it intuitive through shape can help non-professionals avoid mistakes. Large and single-function buttons, along with strategically used colors, aid in quick identification and access to critical features. In user interface design, minimalism reduces clutter, allowing users to focus on essential information. Fewer choices result in faster decision making, especially in time-sensitive medical situations. Hiding less important features in menus can further streamline the interface.<h3 dir="ltr">4. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Simplify the Structure for Easy Cleaning</h3>Medical products must be designed for easy cleaning due to their exposure to bodily fluids, alcohols, acids, reagents, viruses, and bacteria. To achieve this, gaps and crevices in the product&#39;s design should be minimized. Seams can be tightly sealed or covered with overlapping features. Accessible gaps allow for convenient wipe down. Additionally, the design should favor smooth, non-porous surfaces that can be easily cleaned with swabs, sprays, or wipes. Minimalistic shapes with fewer crevices further prevent the accumulation of dirt and contaminants. With our extensive experience in facilitating the development of medical products, we are ready to apply our expertise and manufacturing services for your upcoming project. Our wide range of medical-grade materials and on-demand mechanical parts manufacturing capabilities can streamline the development of medical devices by providing a single manufacturer for all stages, from prototyping to low-volume production to assemblies.

This article explores how to apply "KISS" principles to medical device design, providing valuable insights for staying ahead in this competitive industry.

Simplifying Medical Device Design - Embracing the "KISS" Power for Competitive Advantage

In this episode, we talk about a combined effort between ETH Zurich & the Swiss Federal Lab for Material Science (EMPA) to create “smart” internal bandages for safely patching patients post stomach/intestinal surgery while providing insight to the medical staff about the status of the patch to prevent leakages which can be fatal.

Podcast: A Spy In The Belly

Unitree Robotics

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Xsens-Fri Jun 30 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0200 (Central European Summer Time)

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DEEP Robotics

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Nordic Semiconductor-Sat Sep 30 2023 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Akenza

healthcare

This is the 2nd article in a 3 part series featuring the applications of tinyML. The series introduces the concept of tinyML and explains some selected applications of the technology in various fields like sustainability, healthcare and education.By adopting digital advancements, healthcare providers are updating their services to improve them and make them accessible to more people. 5G networks, Augmented Reality (AR) &amp; Virtual Reality (VR), Wearables, Digital Twins, and many more technologies are enabling this digital transformation.One such technology with great potential in ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all is tinyML. The concept is a crossover between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and embedded systems that involves developing solutions that bring Machine Learning (ML) capabilities to edge devices. Benefits include privacy, affordability, low-power utilisation, the ability to work in remote locations, and a lot more.In our <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/tinyml-unlocks-new-possibilities-for-sustainable-development-technologies" target="_blank">previous article</a> about the applications of tinyML, we explained how it unlocks new possibilities for sustainable development technologies. This article continues the series by showcasing two more applications of tinyML for medical research and improved healthcare.<h2 dir="ltr">MaRTiny: a tinyML solution for extreme heat sensing for urban climate science</h2>As a direct effect of global warming, summers are getting warmer. [1] This disruption of the natural balance poses a risk to all living entities on the planet. Higher temperatures are known to cause a degradation in the air quality and induce severe health-related issues like heat strokes. Looking at the data of weather-related fatalities in America, heat is the single most significant cause of weather-related deaths over the last 30 years, surpassing floods and storms. [2]But it’s not just the ambient temperature that causes discomfort. It’s the Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT) which accounts for the influence of all the surfaces in the surrounding that ultimately determines the occupant’s comfort. Often, the effect of roads, buildings and other entities has an adverse effect on the MRT, creating a complex problem intersecting health and urban infrastructure.To aid the collection of information related to the MRT, a tinyML solution called MaRTiny was developed by researchers from Arizona State University (ASU). It is a $200 low-cost mobile platform for bio-metrological sensing.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjQyNTE3MzYxNzgyLTE2NDI1MTczNjE3ODIucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" width="720" height="297" id="isPasted" class="fr-fic fr-dii" alt="MaRTiny-tech-stack">The tech stack of the MaRTiny platformThe list of sensors embedded on the device include:<ul><li dir="ltr">Ambient temperature sensor</li><li dir="ltr">Globe temperature sensor for sensing the radiant heat</li><li dir="ltr">Humidity sensor</li><li dir="ltr">Ultra Violet (UV) sensor</li><li dir="ltr">Anemometer for measuring wind speed and direction.</li></ul>The platform uses an <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/arduino.pro" target="_blank">Arduino</a> Uno to collect the data and a NodeMCU to provide it with the electronic infrastructure required for wireless data communication. At the core of the system is the Nvidia Jetson Nano development board that provides MaRTiny with the power to run tinyML algorithms.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjQyNTE3NDcxMTAyLU5WSURJQV9KZXRzb25fTmFub19EZXZlbG9wZXJfS2l0Xyg0MDY1MDQyNTUwMykuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="nvidia-jetson-nano-development-board">The Nvidia Jetson Nano development board provides MaRTiny with image processing and ML capabilitiesJetson Nano, with its Camera Serial Interface (CSI), can connect with a camera for shadow detection, object detection and people-in-shade detection. Jetson’s ARM Cortex A57 MPcore, 128 CUDA core Maxwell GPU coupled with 4 GB RAM is just enough to offer advanced ML capabilities on edge.The task of MRT estimation was formulated as a supervised learning problem by the inventors that required a lot of true data for training. This true data was collected with the help of a previously developed, larger and more expensive MRT detecting system going by the name of MaRTy. [3]&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjQyNTE3NTMzMzM5LTE1MDB4NTAwLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="MaRTiny-MaRTy">MaRTiny aims to offer similar functionality as that of MaRTy (in the image) at just 1% of the price. Image source: @ASUMaRTy, TwitterIt was observed that a Support Vector Machine (SVM) with a Radial Basis Function (RBF) kernel achieved the highest accuracy with the MaRTiny. The method being computationally light, offered an easy way of deployment on Jetson. To improve the estimations, both SVM and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models were utilised and trained with data collected via sensors. [4]For privacy, the images taken by MaRTiny are not stored in the cloud or even in the device’s memory. It automatically discards personally identifiable information (PII) before reporting anything back to the servers, which is central to the idea of tinyML and a must-have feature for public deployment.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjQyNTE3NTc1MjI0LWltYWdlNy5wbmciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="MaRTiny-setup">The experimental setup of MaRTinyThe tinyML solution, MaRTiny, can provide crucial insights related to weather conditions and the utilisation of shades and space by the public. Multiple MaRTiny devices can be installed across the city to gather valuable data for architecture and town planning.<h2 dir="ltr">Pneumonia Detection using Embedded Machine Learning</h2>Pneumonia is a respiratory infection caused by viruses, bacterias and fungi. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) data, it is estimated that as much as 22% of all deaths in children aged from 1 to 5 is due to pneumonia. Bacteria induced pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics and other low-cost and low-tech medical facilities if detected at the right time. [5]Chest X-ray, blood oxygen levels and Complete Blood Count (CBC) are used to detect pneumonia which is time-consuming. Doctors manually review the chest X-ray and decide if the person is infected, which is sometimes inaccurate and requires an automated solution with better accuracy. This is the idea behind the tinyML solution that we are about to discuss in this section.Arijit Das, a 15-year-old tinyML enthusiast, has developed a tinyML model using the <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/edge.impulse" target="_blank">Edge Impulse</a> platform to detect pneumonia from chest X-rays. The model can be deployed on single board development platforms like Raspberry Pi 4, Sony Supersense and a few other devices. With just the main board, a camera shield and the Edge Impulse tinyML model, the tiny setup can detect pneumonia in under a minute which is phenomenal considering the fact that it takes anywhere between 1 to 4 days for detection by manual inspection.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjQyNTE3NzA0Nzk2LVJhc3BiZXJyeV9QaV80X01vZGVsX0JfLV9TaWRlLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Raspberry-Pi-4">Credit card-sized single-board computers like Raspberry Pi come with enough compute power to run optimised tinyML algorithmsThe tinyML model doesn’t require internet connectivity to work and offers an accuracy of over 80%, which is far better compared to manual inspection. This can prove to be quite helpful in largely affected regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where a huge number of examinations need to be conducted related to the same disease.&nbsp;At the time of writing this article, the project is fully functional and has been clinically tested by over 10 doctors in a local survey conducted by the inventor. The project is available on <a href="https://github.com/Pneumonia-Detection-using-EdgeML" target="_blank">GitHub</a> for everyone to try, test and contribute. [6]<h2 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h2>It’s the third year into the pandemic, and the emphasis on healthcare research is more than ever. Introducing technologies that can work with little power and no network connectivity at an affordable price in healthcare can save several lives. Leveraging interdisciplinary technologies like tinyML is the way forward to a safer and healthier future.About tinyML FoundationWith its workshops, webinars, expert talks, research conferences, competitions, and a plethora of other events, tinyML Foundation enables students, researchers, and industry personnel to come together and share their experiences about the technology. It is the incredibly collaborative nature of the community that allows it to advance rapidly.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjQyNTE3NzY5MDkxLWV5SmlkV05yWlhRaU9pSjNaWFp2YkhabGNpMXdjbTlxWldOMExXbHRZV2RsY3lJc0ltdGxlU0k2SW1aeWIyRnNZUzh4TmpNMk9UZ3lNVEUwT1RRNExWUnBibmxOVEdadmNrZHZiMlFnS0RRd01EQWdlQ0EzTlRBZ2NIZ3BMbXB3WnlJc0ltVmthWFJ6SWpwN0luSmxjMmw2WlNJNmV5SjNhV1IwYUNJNk9UVXdMQ0ptYVhRaU9pSmpiM1psY2lKOWZYMD0ud2VicCIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="tinyML-banner"> The <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/tinyml-for-good-where-machine-learning-meets-edge-computing" target="_blank">introductory article</a> familiarised the readers with the concept of tinyML.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/tinyml-unlocks-new-possibilities-for-sustainable-development-technologies" target="_blank">first article</a> explained some possibilities of tinyML applications in sustainable technologies.The <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/applications-of-tinyml-in-healthcare-for-a-safer-future/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">second article</a> is about tinyML applications aiding healthcare and medical research.The third and final article shall cover the tinyML applications in&nbsp;pedagogy&nbsp;and education.<hr><h2>References</h2>[1] Extreme Weather Toolkits, Climate Central, [Online], Available from: &nbsp;<a href="https://medialibrary.climatecentral.org/extreme-weather-toolkits/extreme-heat" target="_blank">https://medialibrary.climatecentral.org/extreme-weather-toolkits/extreme-heat</a>[2] Weather Related Fatality and Injury Statistics, National Weather Service, [Online], Available from:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weather.gov/hazstat/" target="_blank">https://www.weather.gov/hazstat/</a>[3] Ariane Middel, E. Scott Krayenhoff, ‘Micrometeorological determinants of pedestrian thermal exposure during record-breaking heat in Tempe, Arizona: Introducing the MaRTy observational platform’, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 687, 2019, Pages 137-151, ISSN 0048-9697, Available from:&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.085" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.085</a>[4] Karthik K. Kulkarni, 2021, ‘Machine Learning and Vision Using Edge Devices for Multimodal Chatbots andBio-meteorological Sensing’, MS Thesis, Arizona State University, United States of America, [Online], Available from:&nbsp;<a href="https://keep.lib.asu.edu/_flysystem/fedora/c7/Kulkarni_asu_0010N_21269.pdf" target="_blank">https://keep.lib.asu.edu/_flysystem/fedora/c7/Kulkarni_asu_0010N_21269.pdf</a>[5] Pneumonia Facts Sheet, World Health Organisation, [Online], Available from:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/pneumonia" target="_blank">https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/pneumonia</a>[6] Arijit Das, Pneumonia-Detection-using-EdgeML, GitHub, [Online], Available from:&nbsp;<a href="https://github.com/Pneumonia-Detection-using-EdgeML" target="_blank">https://github.com/Pneumonia-Detection-using-EdgeML</a>

In this article, we take a look at two tinyML projects related to healthcare. The first project helps gather Mean Radiant Temperature data outdoors to protect people from extreme heat, and the other one is a solution for affordable, accurate, & rapid detection of pneumonia.

Applications of TinyML in healthcare for a safer future