Koomson named finalist in oximetry challenge

Researchers across the globe are working to develop new pulse oximeter technology, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent research demonstrating the limitations of pulse oximeters currently available on the market. While it is essential to test emerging technologies in human subjects, those tests can be prohibitively expensive for researchers to conduct. Housed at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), the Open Oximetry Project recently issued a Device Performance Challenge to broaden access to its pulse oximeter validation tools, and a team from the Advanced Integrated Circuits and Systems Lab at the Tufts University School of Engineering was one of three finalists selected from the wide applicant pool. 

Led by Associate Professor Valencia Koomson of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Tufts team presented EquiVitals, a patent-pending pulse oximeter device developed in Koomson’s lab. EquiVitals, also known as ChromaSense, computes vital signs including respiration rate, oxygen saturation, heart rate and heart rate variability, and signal quality index. Its features include signal-to-noise enhancement to improve accuracy for all skin tones, user feedback to determine sensor placement, and signal quality index for classification.

As a finalist in the Challenge, the Koomson team’s device will receive free performance validation studies at the UCSF Hypoxia Lab. EquiVitals will be tested in 18-20 healthy human volunteers during controlled desaturation studies. The team is currently working with a medical device manufacturing company to develop a prototype device for testing in these clinical trials.
 
Learn more about Associate Professor Valencia Koomson and about the Advanced Integrated Circuits and Systems Lab at Tufts University.