The Institute - December 2020 - TI-14

tech takes on COVID-19
Incentive spirometry is a standard practice in postoperative care and has been
proven to help patients improve their lung
function. Its main drawback is patient
compliance. Health care providers train
patients how to use the device, but they are
not able to monitor the patients' progress.
What technologies are you using?

InSee uses an infrared sensor, which
monitors the movement of the spirometer's internal cylinder. [Editor's note:
The cylinder contains a piston whose
movement measures the volume of
air that is inhaled.] Using time-of-flight
calculations, cylinder movement is
converted to tidal volume, which is the

amount of air moved with each breath
and a key marker of respiratory function.
The data the device collects is stored
and accessed remotely on a computer
through Wi-Fi.
Explain how your project works.

Using InSee, a doctor sets a target tidal
volume for the patient before use. While
sitting upright, the patient puts the mouthpiece [of the spirometer] in his mouth
and closes his lips tightly around it. He
slowly exhales and inhales as deeply as
he can. The patient must breathe through
his mouth or else the device won't work.
[The incentive spirometer contains two
chambers. One, located in the center of

the device, measures the volume of the
patient's breath. As the patient inhales,
a piston moves along a numbered grid,
marking the air volume. A second chamber beside the first measures the speed
of the patient's breath.]
As the patient uses InSee, it measures
the tidal volume and determines how
many times the patient failed to reach
the target. It also determines the maximum tidal volume the patient was able
to reach and how long it took the patient
to reach a specific tidal volume.
Using a red, blinking light, InSee automatically reminds the patient to use the
device at the frequency set by the doctor. The only way to shut off the light is

Firefighters'
Thermal
Imaging System
Repurposed for
COVID-19 Fever

TI-14 | DEC 2020 | THE INSTITUTE

LONGAN VISION

EFORE THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic hit
Canada, Enzo Jia was busy developing the
Fusion Vision System, an augmented-reality
(AR) visor with thermal imaging to help firefighters
see through smoke.
" I always wanted to design something to help
humans enhance their vision and also to see something they cannot with the naked eye, " Jia told The
Institute in March. He is chief executive of Longan
Vision, a startup he helped found. " I really want to
help firefighters and first responders enhance their
vision by using AR technologies. "
The startup, based in Hamilton, Ont., was named a
2020 IEEE Entrepreneurship Star at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, held in January. The program recognizes early-stage companies that have the
potential of bringing to market engineering-driven

https://www.linkedin.com/in/enzo-jia-86454569/ https://www.longanvision.com/ https://www.longanvision.com/ https://entrepreneurship.ieee.org/entrepreneurship-stars/ https://www.cnet.com/ces/ https://www.cnet.com/ces/

The Institute - December 2020

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