Bionic for Training: Smart Framework Design for Multisensor Mechatronic Platform Validation

Abstract

Home monitoring supports the continuous improvement of the therapy by sharing data with healthcare professionals. It is required when life-threatening events can still occur after hospital discharge such as neonatal apnea. However, multiple sources of external noise could affect data quality and/or increase the misdetection rate. In this study, we developed a mechatronic platform for sensor characterizations and a framework to manage data in the context of neonatal apnea. The platform can simulate the movement of the abdomen in different plausible newborn positions by merging data acquired simultaneously from three-axis accelerometers and infrared sensors. We simulated nine apnea conditions combining three different linear displacements and body postures in the presence of self-generated external noise, showing how it is possible to reduce errors near to zero in phenomena detection. Finally, the development of a smart 8Ws-based software and a customizable mobile application were proposed to facilitate data management and interpretation, classifying the alerts to guarantee the correct information sharing without specialized skills.