Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS
Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS
Erfassung von Biosignalen und Körperfunktionen
© Fraunhofer IIS

Sensor Solutions for Healthcare and Medicine

© Fraunhofer IIS

Medical Sensors – Capturing Biosignals and Body Functions

The robust and reliable collection of medical data forms the basis for decisions throughout the entire medical care process: from prevention, diagnosis and therapy to aftercare.

As your research and development partner for medical instrumentation, we offer you patient-focused, customised sensor integration that promises high data quality:

  • Research and development for medical instrumentation tailored to your individual needs.
  • Integration of medical sensors and measurement technology into existing systems and everyday objects
  • Improving medical care by measuring medical parameters in everyday situations
  • Reliability and robustness of medical measurement technology in the acquisition and evaluation of relevant data

Application examples

The measurements of biosignals by built-in sensors in everyday objects are very diverse:

  • ECG recordings can be made and thus abnormalities, such as arrhythmias, can be detected at an early stage.
  • Information about breathing, such as its frequency, is recorded and analysed.
  • Movements, for example in sitting and lying positions, can be evaluated.

These measurement possibilities result in many fields of application for medical measurement technology.

Biosignal measurement

Your development partner for medical metrology and integrated sensor technology

Our prototypes are characterised by rapid development and low costs. The miniaturised sensor systems enable mobile applications and operate energy-efficiently. Integrated signal processing and the possibility of wireless communication guarantee the user-friendliness of the system.

From idea to product

We accompany you on the way from conception to actual transfer into serial production.

Product development

Project example: CardioTextil

Detailed diagnosis and monitoring of cardiac arrhythmias and other cardiovascular diseases in everyday life over several weeks or months.

  • Easy donning and doffing of the ECG system compared to conventional long-term ECG systems
  • Measurement of electrical heart activity through textile-based dry electrodes
  • Comfortable, continuous monitoring over days, weeks or months
  • No cables, no adhesive electrodes
  • Data acquisition in medical quality

Functionality

  1. Signal recording with medical leads (Einthoven I, II, III)
  2. Removable electronics and compatibility with third party electronics
  3. Onboard data storage
  4. Motion sensor technology
  5. Data transfer via Bluetooth
  6.  Artefact compensation through redundancy
  7. Contextual analysis of ECG and activity

Project example: Mobilisation in truck seat

Integration of capacitive sensor technology in seating and lying surfaces and development of a mobilisation seat to prevent lack of movement in trucks

Goal: Evaluation of functionality and effectiveness by Fraunhofer IIS.

  • Requirements analysis and test specification
  • Electronics development and integration of a specially developed capacitive motion sensor system in the truck seat
  • Construction of the test bench
  • Conducting subject studies to validate the mobilisation seat on the test bench and in real road traffic.

Sensor technology

  • Sensor matrix with capacitive sensor fields for measuring pressure distribution in real-time
  • Live transmission of sensor data via Bluetooth
  • Real-time interpretation of signals for activity measurement or control
  • Calculation of activity parameters to quantify movement behaviour

Project example: portable, decentralised sensor network

  • Bluetooth-based, decentralised measurement system
  • Modular composition of body-worn sensors (ECG, PPG, respiration, EDA,...)
  • Application as a location-independent research instrument
  • Synchronisation between sensors via Bluetooth for measurements with fs < 1kHz
  •  Synchronisation also during recordings