N A S A A M E S A S T R O B I O N I C S

LifeGuard – A Wearable Vital Signs Monitoring System

Overview

LifeGuard – a state-of-the-art wearable vital signs monitoring system – has been

developed by the NASA Ames Astrobionics team. This system is capable of logging
physiological data as well as wirelessly transmitting it to a portable base station PC for
display purposes or further processing. It was developed for astronauts, but has many
potential uses in clinical, home-health monitoring, first responder, and military
applications as well.
The core component of the system is a small, lightweight, wearable device called
"CPOD" that is worn on the body along with several sensors attached to it. These
sensors measure the following vital signs: ECG (2channels), respiration, activity (3-axis
acceleration), temperature (skin or ambient), heart rate, pulse oximetry SpO2, and
diastolic and systolic blood pressure. The wearable device acquires and logs these
physiological parameters up to 8 hours and can download or stream them in real time to
a base station PC on demand.

Physiological Logger
Electrodes with Streaming ECG/Respiration
Capabilities (CPOD) Electrodes
BP Cuff

BP Nonin SpO2
Monitor

Nonin Pulse
Oximeter
Accutracker II Blood
Pressure Monitor
(flight qualified)

CPOD Data Logger

Base Station Base Station

CPOD logs data. or
Download via RS-232
or wireless:

LifeGuard System Diagram

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Sensors

Most physiological parameters supported by LifeGuard are measured with sensors that
are external to the CPOD wearable device. The only sensors that are integrated into
CPOD are two accelerometers for activity measurements.
Temperature can be measured in one of two ways: either with an ambient temperature
“plug”, or with a probe (cable) for skin temperature measurements.
ECG and respiration signals are acquired with standard snap-on button electrodes.

Snap-on ECG Button Electrodes

Pulse oximetry (SpO2) is measured with a Nonin Pulse Oximeter that is typically
attached to a finger (finger clip or flexible wrap) or ear lobe (ear clip). For applications
requiring subject mobility, the flex finger sensor is the best choice. Nonin pulse
oximeters come with their own signal conditioning and digitization unit - the "Xpod". The
Xpod model used for LifeGuard streams serial data to the CPOD at a low rate of about
one sample per second.

Nonin XPOD and Flexible Finger Pulse Oximetry Sensor

A cuff-based device measures systolic and diastolic blood pressures. For applications
involving a large amount of motion or vibration, an auscultatory motion-tolerant device
should be used. The LifeGuard system supports the Accutracker II from Suntech
Medical, one of the best motion-tolerant devices available.

Accutracker II Blood Pressure Monitor and cuff

Depending on the application, either all or any desired subset of external sensors can be
used. In many cases, ECG, respiration rate, activity, skin temperature, and heart rate
(derived from ECG) will suffice. This configuration only requires the ECG/respiration
electrodes and provides the greatest degree of mobility.

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Wearable Device (CPOD)

All sensor data is acquired and stored by a single wearable device - the CPOD. This
device performs signal conditioning and data acquisition, data logging, data transmission
to a base station (wired or wireless), and status display functions.

RS-232 Port

Event Button

SpO2 Sensor
(Nonin Xpod 3011) ECG/Respiration
Electrodes

Built-in Wireless
Transceiver
(Bluetooth or 916MHz)

Status and
Parameter Display

Blood Pressure Monitor

Temperature Sensor (Accutracker II, Suntech)
(Skin probe or ambient)
Speaker
ON/OFF Switch

CPOD: Wearable Vital Signs Datalogger

The heart of CPOD is a low-power microcontroller that controls all peripheral devices,
the internal A/D converter, and on-board flash memory. It has four ports for external
sensors and one RS-232 port for hardwired transfer of logged physiological data to a
PC. The CPOD can also stream data wirelessly using either 916MHZ FSK technology or
Bluetooth (only one of these technologies is supported in every CPOD device).
A custom LCD panel displays information on the device status (logging, streaming,
connection to base station) and snapshots of the measured parameters (skin
temperature, activity, heart rate, SpO2, systolic and diastolic blood pressure). A button
on the front of the device can be used to store event markers (the device also
incorporates an internal real time clock).
CPOD was designed with the goal of making it very easy to use. Setup of the device as
well as data download is accomplished entirely from the base station. Once
programmed, the device can be turned off until the time of use. Once turned on, it will
log the data of all physiological sensors it was programmed for, up to 8 hours. The only
interaction the user can have with the device is through the event button and status
display. Neither can affect the basic operational mode of the device (logging or
streaming), ensuring that it meets the high reliability standards of medical monitoring
devices.

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Base Station PC

The base station is a Tablet PC that acts as a receiver for logged or streamed data from
the wearable CPOD device. Like the CPOD, the base station PC supports one of two
wireless technologies - 916MHz FSK or Bluetooth. The data that is downloaded or
streamed from the device can be stored on removable media for further distribution.
Data processing algorithms on the base station derive heart rate from the received ECG
waveform and respiration rate from the received respiration waveform.
Other processing algorithms that the base station will support in the future are ECG
analysis routines and algorithms that combine all parameters to one basic status
indicator of "general health". Such a status indicator is often useful in applications where
raw data viewing is impractical. A simple " red/yellow/green" real-time alert functionality
is often all that is required. NASA, the military, and most first responder scenarios are
typical examples.

Base Station Tablet PC

It should be noted, that it is not necessary for the base station to be a Tablet PC. In
many cases, a Pocket PC may be more appropriate and would provide increased
mobility of the entire system.

Application Scenarios

The LifeGuard system was originally developed for monitoring the health of astronauts to
ensure their safety during space flights and extravehicular activities and to monitor their
physiology during exercise routines. However, because of its small size, light weight,
and robust design, it can "guard life" on earth as well. There are three basic scenarios
where the LifeGuard system can be of great value:

Monitoring vital signs of an injured person during transport or triage

Monitoring the health of a person performing hazardous work
Monitoring the health of a patient in the hospital and at home

The first scenario deals with general patient transport. A first responder or emergency
worker could apply the LifeGuard system to a patient within seconds before initiating the
transport to the hospital. The patient's vital signs could then be transmitted to the
hospital while the ambulance is still on its way, and on arrival at the ER the doctor will
have an immediate knowledge of the patient's status and history. Similarly, a combat

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medic could apply the LifeGuard system to several casualties on the field, and have their
vital signs transmitted to his wearable computer to perform triage faster and more
effectively. One could also imagine a scenario where each soldier wears a LifeGuard
system before entering combat, thus enabling remote triage.

Astronauts Combat Medics First Responders

Rescue Workers Fire Fighters HAZMAT Workers

Mountain Climbers Hospital Patients

Monitoring a person who is performing hazardous work is the second basic scenario.
Fire fighters and hazardous material workers are typical examples but also mountain
climbers and soldiers belong to this category. In each case, there is great physical strain
involved. An awareness of the general physiological status is important not only for the
fire fighters or soldiers being monitored to help them manage their risks, but also for their
support teams that have to make decisions that can save their lives.
The third main application area is clinical and home health monitoring. More and more
hospitals move towards minimizing the time a patient spends in the hospital. Patients are
being released earlier, but the requirement to monitor their health until they have
sufficiently recovered remains. Home health monitoring is often the solution and has
become reality today thanks to recent advances in telemedicine. The LifeGuard system
can be invaluable in this area, providing patients at home with more mobility than
conventional home health monitoring equipment. The base station PC can be connected
to the patient's phone line, and the doctor can access the latest patient status securely
and conveniently over the Internet.

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