The "C-Guardian" concept is an updated version of baby monitors. An intuitive and contact-less monitor which includes sensors for temperature, movement, humidity as well as microphone that can track sleep patterns and provide real time notifications via compatible smartphones, tablets and home computers.
Keeping our loved ones safe while simplifying everyday life has become a challenge as we transition to an ever more expanding digital future.
New parents are currently not served by readily available monitoring systems that are comprehensive and customisable. Technology available in Healthcare centers is entirely based on contact sensors that apply to the body although for newborns, particularly premature infants, this foreign (and physically restricting) application might be cause for additional stress. The same applies to children with special needs or seniors who might equally not be good candidates to being entangled in a sea of wires. Technology available in hospitals in based entirely on touch contact and they have served their purpose well however people want to be more involved and take proactive measures regarding their health management as well as decisions. This is not an option when all available equipment is exclusive to specialized environments.
By observing first-hand the challenges of parents to special needs kids, it has become obvious they share a collective need for vital sign monitoring. More importantly, they need an alert system to be able to respond to a possible event when their child might need assistance or at times even emergency medical attention. An early warning alert could mean gaining precious minutes in administering necessary medication or contacting emergency personnel.
A sleep monitor that could read life signs would provide reassurance that while asleep, their loved ones are being watched over and an alert system is available to them. Peace of mind is the goal for this device and that, in the world of family, is priceless.
This device could potentially also be of use for adults with sleep apnea or seniors who might need closer monitoring while at rest. It could turn on their lights equipped with GE smart bulbs in order to safely access medication or locate the phone in case of an emergency while taking into consideration limited mobility.
Without a registered event of distress, the C-Guardian will still record the sleep activity and provide an overview on what goes on when at night when everyone is getting some well-deserved rest in a fast paced under-rested world.
As a race, we have started to entrust our self-management and a majority of our everyday lives to technology, through wireless connectivity and at a touch of a screen thus there is an ever growing need to find ways to quantify all this data into usable information to create positive personal improvements. The C-Guardian is a monitor that provides reports on the quality of sleep therefore assisting parents in creating new patterns to better suit their family. By being able to visualize sleep cycles, parents would be able to adjust their daily routines and create better night time rituals for their young.
Activated through an app, this device would provide environmental and biological readings in a less intrusive way while limiting unnecessary distress that cables and contact sensors could create for young children. Traditionally contact or proximity sensors are required as channels for information but what if information could be transmitted through light?
Using LED, the Guardian would transmit information via Bluetooth to compatible smartphones or other devices running the proprietary app. Expanding on the principle of a standard pulse oximeter, LED lights of different colors and wavelengths could be used to measure the arterial blood oxygenation also known as SpO2 levels.
An accelerometer calibrated sensor to track respiratory rate and a humidity in respiration are at present excusive to corded equipment but then so was the telephone at one point in history. As time proved it, it was only the beginning.
Distribution on the convex front surface of the monitor screen provides a wide angle and allows radial readings to be possible and better capture input data through the sensors even if the child moves or turns. An algorithm can then determine an interpretation of these readings as well as create a baseline for each person. When a reading is off regular limits, a notification such as an alarm or text would be sent to a connected smartphone. As a failsafe, the C-Life or C-Sleep smart lights turn on and alert the supervising adults in an adjacent room – settings that could be adjusted by each user.
This idea has been fully inspired by a 4 year old hero – Rebecca. The C-Guardian or “Becca’s Light” as I labeled it privately, is a device that parents of special needs children are desperately wishing for. Outside the hospital arena, life sign monitoring for seizure patients as well as night-time supervision, are not a possible reality but the hope is there that one day, one great company driven by creative minds, could bring the future a little closer. Innovation is for some people, their Lifeline.
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