SOUTH KINGSTOWN – A team of eight University of Rhode Island students developed a mask that is used to help monitor symptoms of COVID-19.
Called RespDetect, the mask is made with a respiration sensor in the mask, a throat microphone and an ear temperature sensor. URI said the patient’s body temperature and coughing rate can be monitored wirelessly by using a smartphone app. The data collected is then used by a health care provider to determine the best treatment options for someone experiencing virus symptoms, URI said. A program named Miro served as a collaborative online whiteboard and GitHub was used to develop the application for the mask.
URI said the students thought of the idea in associate professor Kunal Mankodiya’s wearable biosensing laboratory in the spring. Mankodiya was the group’s primary adviser on the project and professor Manbir Sodhi served as a collaborator.
The students also finished third in a design competition held over the summer by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Circuits and Systems Society, finishing behind a team from France and a team from Sri Lanka. The URI students will present their work at the IEEE International Virtual Symposium on Circuits & Systems on Oct. 10.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
