MamaPulse
Wrist-worn pulse wave velocity monitoring for continuous, independent pre-eclampsia risk assessment
MamaPulse is a wearable, non-invasive device being developed to support continuous, independent assessment of pre-eclampsia risk in pregnant women.
How It Works
- Two PPG sensors positioned under velcro straps on the wrist, spaced a fixed 60 mm apart
- Sensors detect the pulse waveform at each site; onboard firmware calculates pulse wave velocity from the transit time between the two pulses
- Result shown on an OLED screen, which also displays a history of past readings
- An onboard LED gives a simple Green, Yellow, or Red risk level
Designed for use by pregnant women at home, MamaPulse aims to make pre-eclampsia risk monitoring accessible without the cost or distance of a clinic visit, while also giving clinicians a longitudinal risk history at a patient's first appointment.
The device is currently at the functional-prototype stage: it has passed benchtop testing for battery life, drop durability, weight, compactness, electrical safety, data storage, and ease of use, but its pulse-wave-velocity algorithm cannot yet reliably calculate risk accurately enough for clinical screening, and MamaPulse has not yet been clinically validated.
Ideation Process
How MamaPulse went from an idea to a working prototype will be documented here.
What Makes It Unique
- Worn on the wrist, so pregnant women can monitor their own risk at home without a clinic visit
- Stores a history of past readings on the device, giving clinicians a longitudinal risk record at a patient’s first appointment
- Gives a simple Green, Yellow, or Red risk level on the device