IIT Kgp researchers develop affordable device to diagnose COPD

    Kolkata, Sep 11 (PTI) Researchers at IIT Kharagpur
have developed an affordable Artificial Intelligence(AI)-based
diagnostic device for monitoring Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease (COPD), spokesperson of the premier institute said on
Friday.
    COPD is a chronic lung disease caused by exposure to
harmful gases and particulate matters. Its symptoms include
breathing difficulty, cough, mucus production and wheezing.
The IIT Kharagpur spokesperson said, Prof Dipak Kumar
Goswami and his research team at the Organic Electronics
Laboratory (ORELA), department of Physics, have developed
SenFlex.T, a smart mask synced with an android monitoring app
through Bluetooth, that can continuously monitor breathing
patterns, heart rate and oxygen saturation level in blood.
    The app is connected to a cloud computing server,
where AI has been implemented to predict the severity of COPD
through Machine Learning (ML).
    "SenFlex. T mask can be used at home by COPD patients
without having to visit diagnostic centres. This will also
address the critical issue of addressing COPD at an early
stage and will be a boon for both patients and the overall
healthcare system," explained Prof Goswami.
    It contains a highly sensitive, flexible temperature
sensor along with a Bluetooth-based measuring electronics.
    The sensor system can continuously monitor the
temperature changes of inhaled and exhaled air during
breathing and record the breathing pattern.
    Further, a commercially available pulse oximeter has
been integrated with the sensor system to monitor the oxygen
saturation level during breathing.
    The product cost has been estimated at about Rs 2,500.
    The researchers have filed a patent for the device
which is ready for commercialisation, the spokesperson said.
    The innovation has been reported in ACS Applied
Materials & Interfaces, a scientific journal that was
established by the American Chemical Society in 2009. PTI SUS
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)