Beanie for health monitoring

DSV student awarded third place in Ericsson Innovation Award.

Fatima Bayloun’s project ”B SENSE” is an Internet of Things solution consisting of a smart headwear in the form of a beanie that monitors two important vital signs: oxygen levels and heart rate. The beanie is coupled with a mobile app for individual use and a web platform or dashboard powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) for caregivers. 

“During the pandemic, I found it sad how the older population was the most affected. The number of deaths, their isolation and the shortage of caregivers, especially in care homes. When I was planning my thesis idea as part of my Master’s program in Computer and Systems Sciences at DSV, Stockholm University, I wanted to use technology for a good cause and contribute to the efforts to save more lives,” says Fatima Bayloun.

B SENSE, an IoT solution monitoring elderly’s health.
The solution aims to facilitate wireless and remote health monitoring in elderly care, taking into account an elderly friendly design.

She explains how she decided on which device to use:

“With the elderly in mind, the research focused on the design flaws in the popular finger pulse oximeters, and how this could be utilized to consider the self-management capacity. This resulted in choosing the forehead instead of the index finger - hence the beanie! A visual alert, blinking LED, is used to remind the person to put the beanie on and the readings will wirelessly be sent to the caregiver. Infants, athletes and hospitals can also benefit from B SENSE as a wireless and smart health monitoring solution. There is no need for a smartphone to benefit from this solution.”

What will you bring from this experience?  
  “As part of the research process, I interviewed people from elderly care, medical doctors and nurses and medical technology experts and everyone was very helpful. I also got recognition in the beginning when winning the research category in SU Business Model Cup and got support from Drivhuset and ALMI to further develop the prototype. This whole positive ecosystem surprised me!”

Fatima Bayloun, Master student at DSV
Fatima Bayloun, Master student at DSV

“I have always been a strong believer in technology but after this experience, I am more confident that with the right support and motivation, students and young researchers can contribute to making the world a better place for everyone,” Fatima Bayloun concludes. 

Ericsson Innovation award

The award is a global competition open to students from all over the world. Out of 720 ideas only 14 were selected for the semi-finals. B SENSE was among them and also won first place in Europe, Regional Winner. For the final round, only three projects were shortlisted. The Grand Finale Event was held online in December and broadcast live on social media. There B SENSE was announced as a winner of third place internationally. 

The judges’ motivation: “BSENSE exemplifies how we can provide equal access to technology for elderly people, which well aligns with the UN efforts to prevent and control non-communicable diseases. The idea has the potential to enhance elderly’s self-management which will improve their mental health and allow them to unlock more potential in their daily life.”

Supervisors for Fatima Bayloun’s master thesis are Åsa Smedberg and Donald Baldwin.