NeoLume

Inspiration

Neonatal jaundice is common, but monitoring bilirubin levels often requires repeated hospital visits and blood tests. We wanted to create a safer and more convenient way for parents to monitor their newborn at home and detect concerning changes earlier.

What it does

NeoLume is designed to monitor bilirubin levels non-invasively without requiring repeated blood sampling. The system consists of a wearable sensing device and a mobile application. The device collects bilirubin-related measurements and sends the data to the NeoLume app via Bluetooth. The app presents the baby's readings in an easy-to-understand interface and uses Green, Yellow, and Red indicators to help communicate the monitoring status. NeoLume is designed to consider important neonatal factors such as age in hours, gestational age, and weight when interpreting risk. When concerning readings are detected, the system can provide an alert for further medical review.

How we built it

We designed the NeoLume concept around three main components:

• A non-invasive wearable sensing device for neonatal bilirubin monitoring.
• Bluetooth connectivity to transfer measurements to the mobile application.
• A mobile application that visualizes readings, trends, and risk indicators. We also designed the user experience to make the information understandable for parents while supporting healthcare professionals in reviewing the baby's monitoring history.

Challenges we ran into

One of our biggest challenges was designing a solution that could be non-invasive, simple enough for home use, and still clinically meaningful. We also had to think carefully about how to present medical information without overwhelming parents, while ensuring that important changes could be recognized quickly. Another challenge was designing the system around neonatal factors such as age, weight, and gestational age rather than relying on a single measurement.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud to have transformed a clinical problem into a practical health-tech concept focused on early detection and home monitoring. We developed the NeoLume concept, designed the device and mobile application workflow, and created a user-friendly monitoring interface. We are especially proud of the idea of moving from a one-time hospital measurement toward continuous monitoring that can help identify concerning changes earlier.

What we learned

Through this project, we learned how to transform a healthcare problem into a technology-based solution. We learned that successful health-tech innovation requires more than technology. It also requires clinical understanding, patient safety, usability, and clear communication. We also learned how to combine nursing knowledge with innovation, product design, and digital health concepts.

What's next for NeoLume

Our next steps are to develop and refine the physical prototype, validate the measurements against standard blood bilirubin testing, and improve the mobile application. We also aim to conduct further testing with healthcare professionals and work toward the necessary regulatory and clinical validation requirements. Our long-term goal is to make NeoLume a practical tool that supports earlier detection and safer monitoring of neonatal jaundice at home.

Built With

• artificial
• digital
• healthcare
• intelligencemachine
• iot
• learningwearable
• medical
• mobile
• neonatal