Physical artificial arterial pulse system for development and testing of PPG-based sensors
This work is part of Josie Dixon's PhD project to develop a low-cost, non-invasive blood glucose monitoring method to improve health outcomes for people living with diabetes (Editor).
Over the summer of 2022/23 I developed a system to test the ability of my sensor to detect a pulse. I was assisted on this project by a summer student. This work was presented by the summer student at the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference in Sydney in July 2023.
Hill JF, Dixon JA, Chase JG, Pretty CG. Physical artificial arterial pulse system for development and testing of PPG-based sensors. Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference. Vol 20232023:1-4.
Below is the graphical abstract of this work.
The change in arterial pressure during a cardiac cycle has a distinct pattern and can be detected using photoplethysmography (PPG). PPG technology is low-cost and simple to implement, lending itself well to point-of-care medical devices. A physical system to generate a PPG-mimicking signal was designed and validated using everyday low-cost components to aid in medical sensor design. The pulse waveform was created by driving a working fluid into a silicone tube and changing the pressure within it. The corresponding waveform mimics a PPG signal through an artery, is adaptable, and repeatable. The working fluid is interchangeable allowing for change of blood analyte concentrations for development and testing of PPG-based sensors.
The system was validated by ink compared to water and air compared to water to confirm optical transparency of the tube. The produced PPG signal, pulse rate and pressure change were compared to signals seen in human subjects. Optical transparency for 660 nm – 1550 nm wavelengths of light was validated with the signal, pulse rate and total compliance matching subject data. Thus, the system can mimic arterial pulses, creating a valid PPG signal detectable by PPG-based sensors.
Clinical Relevance: Provides a low-cost, adaptable, physical PPG signal generator for research and development of optical medical sensor technologies.
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