FOCAL Health Smart-Grip

Globally emerging outbreaks threaten both physical and mental health. However, we often rush to address the physical health challenge and inadvertently allow for mental health to become a hidden social side effect. This allows for pandemics to have a long-lasting impact on society. Our team proposes a solution that enables the users to be mindful of both aspects of their health. Vital signs are a gateway to quantifying physical and mental health status. Therefore, a hassle-free method for continuous monitoring of vitals changes is essential.  We deployed the constant dependence of 81% of the population on smartphones to our advantage and have developed a removable smartphone grip.  During smartphone usage, our proprietary algorithm effortlessly monitors the user’s vitals and alerts the user of any quantifiable changes that could result in potential physical or mental complications. The algorithm also employs Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in order to promote healthy mental patterns.  

We propose a novel user-friendly, self-monitoring smartphone grip, that seamlessly monitors the user’s vitals when in contact with the smartphone. The goal of the device is to aid in early detection of both physical and mental health complications that could arise from emerging outbreaks. An online therapy service reported a 65% increase in customers since the onset of the pandemic. A federal emotional-distress emergency hotline reported a 10-fold increase in the number of cases in April 2020.  The anxiety levels experienced by frontline workers are reported higher than the general public. A study conducted in China amongst medical professionals at the peak of the pandemic suggested that 45% reported higher levels of anxiety. Mental health professionals argue that if the social-emotional distress of the pandemic is left untreated, the impact of the pandemic on mental health could have lasting effects. Our proprietary algorithm monitors vitals as indicators of the onset of potential physical health complications, and also the onset and persistence of anxiety levels experienced by the user. The algorithm offers the user to engage in suggested research-backed anxiety-reducing behavior paradigms that have a lasting effect on anxiety management amongst the vulnerable populations.

Currently, there are no discreet devices that allow for seamless continuous monitoring of vitals. We are developing an application paired with a smart-grip that is the first self-monitoring device that allows for effortless monitoring of vitals. It is important to note that the outbreaks challenged both the physical and mental health of society. Our product is the only product that aims at addressing the large negative impact of pandemics on mental health as well as physical health. The smart-grip monitors body temperature, blood oxygenation levels, skin humidity, heart rate, and grip pressure. Our proprietary algorithm learns the user’s default vital patterns and tracks changes. In cases of quantifiable changes, the user is made aware. The user has the option to share the data with their doctor in order to minimize going into the office and preventing unnecessary exposure. The smart-grip houses the custom designed sensors and electronics. The device can attach to the back of any smartphone. The application is compatible with any iOS and Android smartphone. While using the smartphone, when anxiety events are observed, the application will alert the user and will provide the user with the opportunity to guide them through research-backed anxiety-reducing behavior.

Misguided and conflicting information, the looming fear of getting sick, the absence of treatment, financial losses, and the consumption of negative news are just some of the factors contributing to the widespread emotional distress associated with outbreaks. The looming effect is also more sever  on frontline workers, specifically medical professionals.  As part of the solution, we propose a self-monitoring smart-grip that, with no effort from the users, will continuously monitor their vitals. The smart-grip will detect the onset of physical complications, and monitor for indicators of anxiety. Our initial needs-finding surveys indicated that this device will give the user peace-mind by knowing that if there is any significant change in their vitals which could arise from the pandemic, the change would be detected early. The device will also guide the user through anxiety-reducing Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy paradigms. The application will track the user’s improvement over time and create mindfulness habits towards addressing anxiety.   We have established collaborations with medical professionals and Psychiatry professors at the University of Illinois at Chicago in order to establish the specific needs of the frontline workers and the general public. As a result, the smart-grip algorithm is designed to address both physical and mental identified needs.

Smart-grip effortlessly monitors vitals, which aid in detecting onset of physical or mental health complications that could arise from outbreaks. Hence, assisting in making an informed decision about one’s health and resulting in prevention of rapid spread of the disease. The user could share their data with the doctor and avoid going into the office and creating unnecessary exposure. We are targeting the front line workers and individuals interested in making an informed decision about their health. The application also employs research-backed methods in order to reduce anxiety levels that are highly experienced by healthcare professionals and the general public.

Having a discreet device that could effortlessly and continuously monitors one’s vitals could be key in keeping the population healthy. All wearables that track one’s vitals need to be worn on a body part, hence, their abandonment rate is high.  We employed the dependence of 81% of the population on smartphones to our advantage; we have developed a smartphone grip that monitors ones' vital when the phone is in use. The application keeps track of the vitals over time. The user does not need to give the device any extra attention, even something as simple as remembering to wear the device. The most innovative aspect of our device is that it is the only device that, as well as monitoring for physical health, aids with addressing high levels of anxiety. Often mental health is overlooked when physical health is threatened, we aim to change that. Our product can assist in addressing the long-lasting negative impact of pandemics on society's mental health. A Current relatively similar wearable device developed by John Roger’s Group at Northwestern University requires the user to wear the device on their neck, which is uncomfortable and attracts unwanted attention. This device also does not address mental health issues.

The project lead, Dr. Hananeh Esmailbeigi, is the director of the Wearable Technology and Sensory Enhancement laboratory at University of Illinois at Chicago, she is also the CEO of HideIT Wearables. She has extensive experience in the field of developing discreet wearables and nearables technology and has authored multiple publications in this area. Under her supervision, the team is employing the same core technology in developing the proposed smart grip. The main solution utilizes existing technologies such as Bluetooth technology, vital sensors, proprietary algorithms, and mobile application development tools. The microcontroller is used to send data to the smart-grip application via Bluetooth. Data includes vital readings from the sensors that are interoperated and adjusted for noise, the algorithm uses these vital to detect a change and also the onset of higher levels of anxiety. The mobile development tools are used to create the smart-grip application. These tools allow for the creation of the application’s user-friendly interface, live vital visualizations, personal note-taking, and notifications.

The project lead, Dr. Hananeh Esmailbeigi, is the director of the Wearable Technology and Sensory Enhancement laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago, she is also the CEO of HideIT Wearables. She has extensive experience in the field of developing discreet wearables and nearables technology and has authored multiple publications in this area (https://esmailbeigi.lab.uic.edu/). Under her supervision, the team is employing the same core technology in developing the proposed smart grip. A prototype of the device is already developed by the team. (https://engineeringexpo.uic.edu/news-stories/focal/)

The ultimate goal of the smart-grip is to aid in reducing anxiety levels and to take the stress away from the continuous pressure of tracking one’s vitals. A federal emotional-distress emergency hotline reported a 10-fold increase in the number of cases in April 2020.  The anxiety levels experienced by frontline workers are reported higher than the general public. A study conducted in China amongst medical professionals suggested that 45% reported higher levels of anxiety. Mental health professionals argue that if the social-emotional distress of the pandemic is left untreated, the impact of the pandemic on mental health could have lasting effects. Studies have shown that a higher level of anxiety weakens the immune system and makes one more susceptible to illness, hence emphasizing the importance of addressing this issue. The characteristics of emerging outbreaks might be unknown, but all physical health-related issues have markers influencing the vital; hence, it is important to develop a user-friendly and continuous method for monitoring vitals.  Once funding is secured 50 units of the smart-grip will be distributed to healthcare professionals at UIC medical center. Surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of the smart-grip, on reducing the stress of tracking vitals, as well as reinforcement of mindfulness towards anxiety-provoking content will be distributed.  The volunteers will be surveyed before and throughout the smart-grip usage. We anticipate that at the conclusion of the study, a minimum of 85% of the participants will self-report greater than 90% reduction in stress levels associated with monitoring vitals for the onset of physical illness. We also anticipate that a minimum of 85% of the participants will self-report having gained a moderate level of mindfulness (80% improvement) towards managing their anxiety. If a participant self-reports having contracted COVID-19 while participating in the study, the role of the smart-grip in the detection of the onset of the disease will be evaluated. Once the device's effectiveness is proven, we will execute a longer study phase, 3 months with 200 front-lone works, and also make the device available open source on our website.  We will also establish contractors for the mass production of the device. 

Our prototype is currently under development; hence it serves our team of 5 people. We anticipate that within 6 weeks of receiving the funds, we will be able to distribute the 50 units to volunteer frontline workers. Within the first year, the device design will become open-source and it will be available through our website. We will also establish contractors for mass production and marketing of the device. We anticipate that within one year from product design freeze we will be able to target 0.2 % (4 million) of the smartphone user, and within 5 years to target ~10% of smartphone users (160 million).

Within the next year, we plan to distribute our device to 50 established healthcare professionals. After the 8-week adaptation period by the volunteers, the impact of the device on anxiety will be evaluated. Mental health professionals at the University of Illinois at Chicago will evaluate the stress-reduction findings. Once the device's effectiveness is proven and necessary changes are implemented, we will execute a longer study phase, 3 months with 200 front-line works, and also make the device available open-source on our website to the general public. We anticipate that within one year from product design freeze we will be able to target 0.1 % (2 million) of the smartphone user population. Surveys will be conducted to evaluate user feedback on the device and improve device performance. Within 5 years we plan to target 10% of smartphone users (160 million) and gain better understanding in regard to how different user groups interact with our anxiety-reducing paradigm. This study will also provide us with a better social understanding of addressing anxiety. 

Currently, one of the barriers is the funding available for the project, we need enough funding to build 50 units of the device and to distribute it to front line workers. Since we are based at a department of Bioengineering which is part of the College of Medicine, we have existing strong collaborations with the medical professionals. We have also established all legal agreements for conducting the proposed studies. Once the funding is secured, we could start the study immediately. Our main barrier is being able to assist more people in combating anxiety. Hence, we believe that the mentorship and guidance that we will get through Solve will significantly assist us in the marketing of our product and bring awareness to the open-source aspects of our device. We are passionate about assisting the general public to combat the mental distress that the current pandemic has had. We have witnessed  first-hand the horrific consequences of mental distress left untreated. We hope to make an impact on the well-being of society, and we believe that the mentorship program could significantly assist us in ensuring our success.

We are applying for various sources of funding including the Solve grant and we seek mentorship and guidance. 

The device and conducting all the research at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The device design will then become available open-source on our website to the general public. The device will also be marked and distributed through HideIT Wearables LLC, which is a for-profit startup. The for-profit will donate one device to a user in developing world users for every 5 devices sold in the USA. 

6 people, one professor, 2 full-time engineers, 2 part-time engineers, 2 medical professional consultants.

Our team is based in Illinois, which is the second state that declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic. We are developing the device at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Illinois has over 128,000 confirmed cases of the pandemic with the majority of its cases being in the city of Chicago. The project’s lead is the director of the Wearable Technology and Sensory Enhancement Laboratory at the department of bioengineering, she is also the CEO of HideIT Wearables. She has extensive experience in the field of developing discreet wearables and nearable technology and has authored multiple publications in this area. The team is composed of three graduated Computer Engineers, skilled in application development and software/hardware interconnectivity, a BS candidate in Electrical Engineering, skilled in developing circuit/PCB design, as well as programming device peripherals. Our team has two medical professional consultants. One of our team’s consultants is a medical doctor tackling the Covid-19 pandemic at the university hospital. Our other consultant is a practicing Psychiatric professor who has patented technology and algorithms in detecting mental complications. We have access to recourses at the University of Illinois which positions us a great candidate for conducting research required for the successful implementation of our device. HideIT Wearable LLC is also an established startup that will assist in the distribution of the developed device to the general public. 

FOCAL Health is directed by the lead that works at the University of Illinois at Chicago and HideIT Wearables LLC.

We plan on making the device available on our website as an open-source device to assist the global population, but we also understand that not all users will be able to implement the device. We will also market the device at a price point of ~$80. The basic application will be free of charge, but subscription models will be available too. 

We plan on making the device available on our website as an open-source device to assist the global population, but we also understand that not all users will be able to implement the device. We will also market the device at a price point of ~$80. The basic application will be free of charge, but subscription models will be available too. s.

Our main barrier is being able to reach out to more potential users and assist them in combating anxiety. Hence, we believe that the mentorship and guidance that we will get through Solve will significantly assist us in marketing our product and bringing awareness to the open-source aspects of our device. We are passionate about assisting the general public to combat the mental distress that the current pandemic has brought. We have first-hand witnessed the horrific consequences of mental distress left untreated. We hope to make an impact on the well-being of society, and we believe that the mentorship program could significantly assist us in ensuring our success.

We believe that we can only be successful in making the impact that we seek by including as many individuals as possible. We hope that through the programs mentorship and marketing guidance we could bring attention to the importance of being mindful of our mental health in a time of the pandemic. 

The ultimate goal of the smart-grip is to aid in reducing anxiety levels and to take the stress away from the continuous pressure of tracking one’s vitals for medical professionals.  The anxiety levels experienced by frontline workers are reported higher than the general public. A study conducted in China amongst medical professionals suggested that 45% reported higher levels of anxiety. Mental health professionals argue that if the social-emotional distress of the pandemic is left untreated, the impact of the pandemic on mental health could have lasting effects. Studies have shown that a higher level of anxiety weakens the immune system and makes one more susceptible to illness, hence, emphasizing the importance of addressing this issue. Once funding is secured, 50 units of the smart-grip will be distributed to healthcare professionals at UIC medical center. We anticipate that at the conclusion of the study, a minimum of 85% of the participants will self-report greater than 90% reduction in stress levels associated with monitoring vitals for the onset of physical illness. We also anticipate that a minimum of 85% of the participants will self-report having gained a moderate level of mindfulness (80% improvement) towards managing their anxiety.

During smartphone usage, our proprietary algorithm employs machine learning and AI to effortlessly monitor the user’s vitals and alerts the user of any quantifiable changes that could result in potential physical or mental complications. The algorithm employs Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in order to promote healthy mental patterns.  We have Psychiatric professionals in our team that consult on the successful, and neuroscience proven, implementation of these therapy methods. 

Women experience higher levels of anxiety than men, in-fact, research has suggested that women are twice more likely than men to experience anxiety. Our innovation aims at reducing anxiety, and it is potentially twice more impactful for women. 

Our solution not only targets physical aspects of pandemics, but it is unique in that it is set to address mental consequences of a pandemic.  

81% of the US population and 35% of the global population are smartphone users. Our smart-grip could potentially be distributed to all users as an accessory that seamlessly monitors ones physical and mental health. Also the market for connected medical diagnostics is expected to grow 25% per year till 2025. Therefore, our product has a huge opportunity to be an influencer in this market.