F8 - Pulse Oximeter

Pulse Oximeter has become a household item after COVID19 pandamic. Due to increase in demand, there has been flooding of these products into the market, causing confusion among the buyers while deciding which brand to buy. Significant number of these products are unreliable and does not inspire confidence to the user.

Conventional Oximeters are clip like design letting user fix the device on index finger. Device emits the Red and Infrared lights into the finger and captures the transmitted light on the other side of the finger. Based on the absorption of Red and Infrared lights, oxygen saturation in the blood is calculated and presented. When the user has applied nail polish or a having a cut in the finger the light is scattered / absorbed to different degree causing anomaly in the results causing unnecessary panic. In some instances, there are product that show the oxygen saturation reading even when a pen / pencil were inserted. Such behavior does not mean the device is faulty, but a reading for non-living objects causes confusion among the user and raze the trust in the technology.

Apart from these issues, it is hard for patient / attendant to keep track of the oxygen saturation every few hours especially when there are multiple COVID-19 patients at home. There is a potential to address these needs / issues through design.

We took it up as an exploratory design exercise to design a Pulse Oximeter which is reliable by design and also inspire confidence among the users by mitigating some of the above mentioned issues.

In F8 - Pulse Oximeter, we propose the light be emitted from the tip of the finger and captured right above the finger print area without having to pass the light through the nails thus avoiding the issue of nail polish / damaged nails.

To make sure the device in non-responsive to the objects, a finger print scanner is integrated. User can enroll as many finger prints of the family member through a mobile app.

Finger print reader serves multiple purpose;

1. Does not give a reading without reading a finger print.

2. Records the reading against specific patient making it easy to keep records and track the patient condition through mobile app.

3. Ensure there is no gap between light source and detector.

4. Always takes reading from same finger and provides consistent reading.

F8 - Pulse Oximeter would be continually connected to Mobile app through BLE and keep track of oxygen saturation and pulse rate. In case of reading beyond threshold, notifies the users to consult the clinician. Connectivity + Finger print reader will allow the user a much needed respite in maintaining isolation while remotely keep track of the patient's reading.

F8 - Pulse Oximeter is designed to have a clean looks and sturdy build. Device is build to accept index finger of 99 percentile human being. Device is combination of machine cut aluminum tube and injection molded plastics packed compactly and has provision to attach to key ring. Semi circular metal wire also helps in removing the battery cover to replace CR 2032 coin cell.

Screen UI is icon based and visually easy on the eyes to inspire confidence to the user. Screen is adaptive to the orientation and easy to read.