Getting vital signs en route
Imagine being able to show up at your medical appointment with your blood pressure results, respiration rate and temperature in hand and ready to be handed over to your physician.
With support from the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN), an Ontario company with expertise in medical grade biometric monitoring hardware and software is collaborating with a global leader in automotive technology to make that a possibility.
CloudDX Inc. and Faurecia North America are working together to create vital signs tracking technology that can withstand the uneven and noisy conditions of road travel. The breakthrough tool, which has received positive reviews by medical professionals, would not only save time for patient and doctor but provide a more accurate reading of biomedical results given a more prolonged period of monitoring.
The AVIN project enables the partners to develop a prototype and demonstration system to validate the product. Both companies see this is an important first step in the development of technology that adds value for a vehicle passenger but could also greatly enhance emergency medical care and opens the door to exploring how to improve the passenger experience in autonomous vehicles.
In bringing Faurecia and CloudDX together, AVIN created significant advantages for both companies. As an Ontario SME, CloudDX has much to gain in the way of a commercial market by partnering with a major technology company that supplies the world’s automotive industry. And Faurecia is excited about linking up with an innovative company at the forefront of high-quality medical grade wearables and sensors for medical data in non-medical environments.
“Working with a terrific company like Faurecia is a big deal for us,” says Robert Kaul, CEO of CloudDX. This support from AVIN led to a commercial deal with Faurecia much faster than would otherwise have been possible and to a very strong partnership.”
Faurecia’s Innovation Director Matthew Benson says the support from AVIN was definitely an incentive for Faurecia, making this project “much more possible to do and do right.”
Partly as a result of this successful partnership, its first engagement in the province, Faurecia is increasingly seeing the benefits of conducting R&D in Ontario. “As a global company, we could be doing work like this anywhere in the world,” says Benson. “We are becoming more engaged in working in Ontario and Canada because of the quality of the entrepreneurs and technology companies as well as the kind of support coming from the provincial and federal government with programs like AVIN.”
Benson and Kaul both see many exciting applications for the technology, which sets the stage for streamlined integration with existing health care and transportation infrastructures.
“Once the technology is proven effective and accurate inside a moving vehicle, we can talk to ambulance and EMS companies and even air ambulance about how this can be applied,” says Kaul.
With a focus on “well-being and mobility”, Faurecia sees an opportunity to better address transportation issues related to the stress associated with driving and our growing population of older people, where there is greater likelihood of loss of visual acuity and other sensory and cognitive abilities.
“We are looking at how to best manage that as a society, and how this population is getting around in a way that is safe and enjoyable for them,” says Benson.
The two companies see their collaboration as having great potential for the future. “This is not a linear path, “ says Benson. “There are also opportunities that may arise from the customer conversations both of us are having.”
