1. SUDDEN INFANT DEATH
SYNDROME DETECTION BY
HARNESS SYSTEM
BME 4985: SEC 006
TEAM 3
ADAM BOURA, RANDALL BORRUSO, CAMERON FLOWER, AND
JEREMIAH MERKEL

2. PROJECT STATEMENT
• Create a low-cost, easy to use breathing-pause detection
device for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
• Cost less than $100 to create and must be sold for less than
$50
• Reliability of 80-85%
• Tailored to users with minimal literacy and no technological
background
2

3. BACKGROUND
• SIDS occurs most often in humans less than a year old (Staff, 2015)
• Cause is unknown (Staff, 2015)
• Associated with abnormalities in infant's brain that controls breathing
and arousal from sleep (Staff, 2015)
• Few companies are creating wearable devices (King 2014)
• Students have attempted to create a device that was more
inexpensive and effective (Karaczan, 2011)
• Current devices have problems with false positives (Karaczan, 2011)
• Monitors with alarms require FDA approval (King, 2014)
3

4. DEDUCING OPTIMAL DESIGN
Objectives &
Constraints
Strain
Gauge
ECG
Tracheal
Microphone
Pulse
Oximetry
Weigh
t
Simple UI (O) 100 100 100 100 10%
Linguistically
Flexible (O)
100 100 100 100 10%
≥85% Reliability (C) 90 70 65 60 25%
Energy Efficient (C) 95 90 90 85 20%
Comfortable (O) 95 50 45 100 10%
≤50$ Price (C) 90 85 85 70 25%
Total Score: 93.5 81.75 80 79.5
4

5. CONTINUED DEDUCTION
5

6. FUNCTIONS AND METRICS
1. Change resistance: measure the voltage change at different
levels of bending
2. Amplify output voltage: feed voltage difference across bridge
circuit into instrumentation amplifier (gain of 10)
3. Detect absence of voltage change over 20-second interval
• Indicative of breathing pause
4. Sound alarm after pause detection 6
Figure 5: Circuit Diagram for Strain
Gauge (Flex sensor)

7. INITIAL SKETCH OF HARNESS
7
(PPE 2004)

8. COMPLETED PROTOTYPE: HARNESS
Anterior
View
Posterior
View
Materials List (and cost)
• 2” wide Elastic Strip
 $2
• ¾” wide Elastic Strips
 $4
• Five 5” x ¾” Velcro Strips
 $3
• Six Parachute Chord
Buckles
 $2.79
• Total: $11.79
8

9. INITIAL DESIGN VS. FINAL DESIGN OF
CIRCUIT HOUSING
9
SOLIDWORKS Design 3-D Printed Design
• Time to print:
 approximat
ely 2 hours

10. COMPLETE PROTOTYPE OF CIRCUIT
Materials List and Cost
• Polymer Battery: $5.95
• 3 Double A Batteries $0.99
• Instrumentation Amplifier: 7.98
• Proto-board: $4
• Two Flex Sensors: $24
• Adafruit Pro Trinket: $9.95
• Adafruit Pro Trinket “Backpack”:
$4.95
• Thin Plastic Speaker: $0.88
• Battery Holder: $1.95
• Total: $60.65
 Complete Total: $74.44
10

11. CUSTOM ALGORITHM IMPLEMENTATION
(PSEUDO CODE)
11
>> measure voltage across bridge circuit
>> wait 200ms
>> measure voltage across bridge circuit
>> compare the two measurements
>> {
>> while measurements are close (within one quantization level of each other)
>> {
>> take new voltage measurement across bridge circuit
>> increment a time variable (initialized at 0) by 200ms
>> if time variable is greater than or equal to 20000ms (20 seconds)
>> {
>> sound alarm
>> }
>> }
>> }
>> reinitialize time variable to 0
>> loop back to start of program

12. VIDEO DEMONSTRATION
12

13. FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS
• Harness: use an infant body suit design
• Minimizes separate pieces
• Easier to put on and take off
• Make material of mostly polyester
• Circuit Design:
• More sensitive flex sensors
• Improved placement & attachment of sensors for optimal measurement
1
3

14. REFERENCES
• Karaczan, Natasha. "Student Creates SIDS Prevention Technology after Losing
Daughter." ASU News. Media Relations, 03 Nov. 2011. Web. 27 Sept. 2015.
<https://asunews.asu.edu/20111103_peterseymour>.
• King, David. "Marketing Wearable Home Baby Monitors: Real Peace of
Mind?" thebmj. Academic Unit of Child Health, 18 Nov. 2014. Web. 27 Sept.
2015. <http://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g6639.long>.
• "PPE." PPE. Dcfpnavymil.org, 2004. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.
<http://www.dcfpnavymil.org/Personnel%20Protection/Fall%20Protection/Harne
ssTip006.html>.
• Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)." Mayo Clinic. Mayo
Clinic, 27 Sept. 2015. Web. 27 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sudden-infant-death-
syndrome/basics/definition/con-20020269>.
1
4

15. QUESTIONS?
15