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UWI, UTech students showcase wireless heart monitoring invention

Published:Wednesday | October 18, 2023 | 1:06 AMAshley Anguin/Gleaner Writer
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From left: Brandon Sadler, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona; Renae Campbell, University of Technology (UTech); Kevaughn Williams, UWI; Brianna Hanson, UTech; Donniver Haughton, UWI; Dahlia Richards, UTech; and Gawayne Wright, UWI; at the Huawei Se
Ashley Anguin
From left: Brandon Sadler, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona; Renae Campbell, University of Technology (UTech); Kevaughn Williams, UWI; Brianna Hanson, UTech; Donniver Haughton, UWI; Dahlia Richards, UTech; and Gawayne Wright, UWI; at the Huawei Seeds for the Future programme held at the Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts in San Jose, Costa Rica, from October 9-16.
From left: Brandon Sadler, Dahlia Richards, Kevaughn Williams, Brianna Hanson, Gawayne Wright, Renae Campbell, Janielle McKoy, Huwaei Seeds for the Future Global Ambassador and Donniver Haughton, strike a pose at the Vista Los Suenos Adventure Park in Play
Ashley Anguin
From left: Brandon Sadler, Dahlia Richards, Kevaughn Williams, Brianna Hanson, Gawayne Wright, Renae Campbell, Janielle McKoy, Huwaei Seeds for the Future Global Ambassador and Donniver Haughton, strike a pose at the Vista Los Suenos Adventure Park in Playa Herradura, Costa Rica on Sunday, October 15.
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SAN JOSE, Costa Rica:

DONNIVER HAUGHTON, a 21-year-old university student with a recently diagnosed heart condition, is one of several Jamaicans currently trying to find a method to alleviate debilitating heart-related illnesses during a ‘Tech4good’ project presentation at the Huawei Seeds of the Future programme in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Haughton, who has been diagnosed with athlete’s heart [AHS], is one of a group of four students from The University of the West Indies [UWI], Mona campus, and three students from the University of Technology [UTech] who did a presentation on a ‘cardio pulse connect’ device, a wireless heart monitoring invention which it is hoped will be presented on the world stage. The presentation was done on Monday.

Speaking with The Gleaner, Haughton, a third-year medical physics student at UWI and a trained long-distance runner, said that he wants Jamaica to be recognised for the invention’s creation and for the strides which are being taken to advance heart health research.

“I want to see this being fulfilled because I can benefit from first-hand experience, seeing that I have a heart condition. I want people to say that this project is an innovation by Jamaica that will change the entire prospect of the world and allow persons, not only in Jamaica, to use this technology that will be better for their health,” said Haughton.

“I believe the technology is already out there that can make this happen if we use the materials to make this device work in a more concise way. I think that Jamaica is able now to use the developing 4G that Huawei has brought to Jamaica, to improve on what we are doing, and I believe it can put the country in the limelight again on a global space,” Haughton added confidently.

The device is projected to cost $5,000, and is designed with a free-to-download app and artificial intelligence [AI]. It is hoped that, upon completion, the device will be made available on the market within the next five years.

Plan to partner

In order to advance the cardio pulse connect as a potential purchase, the group wants to use charitable organisations, as well as the United Nations and the Ministry of Health and Wellness, along with customers who purchase the devices and electrodes. They also plan to partner with medical professionals, ambulance services, university professors and people with heart conditions.

Concerning the implementation of AI technology, the team wants to ensure that the device protects itself from cyberattacks.

Haughton explained that the idea for the cardio pulse connect invention came about after he found himself unable to afford his own necessary heart tests for treatment of his AHS condition, which concerns subtle changes that occur in the hearts of individuals who participate in intense athletic training.

These changes include small increases in the size of the heart’s ventricle and atrium, as well as proportionate small increases in the thickness of the heart muscle.

“I cannot afford to do the test and there were three tests I had to do because of how I was feeling. I don’t need surgery so I use the Holter monitor, which is a portable type of electrocardiogram (ECG) and a 24-hour device that costs $54,000. I also had to do two electrocardiograms, which is approximately $20,000 each. It’s a lot of money for three tests in one week, which is probably done every month,” said Haughton.

Renae Campbell, a UTech electrical and computer engineering student and a member of Haughton’s presentation team, described their product as a cut above the rest.

“We have accurate data position and support for multiple users in each household and it is also affordable. In the case of an emergency, help is already on the way. As for our prototype, the cardio pulse connect will be used on the user’s chest and will be connected with their mobile device via our application,” Campbell told The Gleaner.

“Real-time feedback will be sent to the mobile device which can then be either saved on their device or sent directly to a doctor via a telehealth platform. The technology behind this device is groundbreaking. The electrodes on the user’s chest will register their heart rate, send it to a microprocessor and then feed it to their application via an embedded wireless communication system,” Campbell explained.

The Seeds of the Future programme brought 95 students from Central America and the Caribbean and gave them training on technological, cultural and soft skills from October 9 to 16. University students attended the programme from Panama, Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Honduras, Costa Rica, Suriname, and Jamaica.