Inspiration
inSPIRE started as a senior design project in the Bioengineering department. We came up with this idea after speaking with various nurses, physicians, and healthcare experts and hearing about many different problems in the health system. The problems with incentive spirometry stood out to us, and the rest is history.
What it does
inSPIRE is a smart, digital incentive spirometer that uses a microcontroller, WiFi, and a digital sensor to transmit flow and volume readings to an integrated app. The app has many features to increase adherence to incentive spirometry exercises while streamlining hospitals' workflows.
How we built it
Our current prototype uses a 3D-printed resin casing, Arduino MKR1010 WiFi microcontroller, a pressure sensor, and a screen, all soldered together and coded with the Arduino IDE.
Challenges we ran into
The biggest challenges we ran into were both physical and app-development related. We had to come up with a clever mechanism for measuring air flow with no moving parts, which ended up being extremely precise. Also, the Bioengineering curriculum involves little app development or IoT, so we had to learn those skills on our own.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We're most proud of our final prototype that we showcased that the Bioengineering Senior Design Demo Day and will be showing in EAS549. Our product is currently in a relatively neat package and performs many of the functions we set out to implement. We were selected as Bioengineering Senior Design Award winners, and we are also finalists for the SB3C Undergraduate Design Competition and will be presenting at the conference in June.
What we learned
Throughout this whole process, we learned a ton about medical device development, including the hardware and software itself, as well as challenges specific to the healthcare industry, such as the complicated sales pathway, regulatory clearance, and many stakeholders involved in purchasing decisions.
What's next for inSPIRE Devices
We aspire to continue developing our device beyond the walls of senior design, as our team is passionate about our product and believe in our vision that this device can make a significant difference on the standard of care for preventing post-operative pulmonary complications. We have applied to a few competitions and funding sources and will see where it goes!
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