Problem → Solution → Innovation
DISCOVER THE PROBLEM
Heart failure costs the economy more than $2.8 billion per year
Heart disease has become one of the most common and most dangerous ailments in the developed world.
Over a million Canadians have heart disease and 50,000 new cases of heart failure are currently diagnosed each year.
In the U.S., 1 million heart failure admitted to hospital each year.
In Canada, Heart failure costs the economy $2.8 Billion, in the U.S. $70 billion.
Heart conditions can be treated, and their risk reduced by early detection and appropriate care.
Laborious work negatively effects heart blood circulation and blood supply to the brain which can lead to development of high blood pressure, blood clots, and heart failure.
HUMAN CASUALTIES
HIGH COSTS
BUSINESS INTERRUPTION
Industry Costs
There are indirect costs that industry professionals evaluate to be between x5-x10 the direct costs:
- Wages paid to injured workers during absence
- Time lost through reduced or light duty staff
- Administrative time spent by supervisors following injuries
- Employee training and replacement costs
- Lost productivity related to new employee training and accommodation of injured employees
Night Shift, an even Bigger Problem
17 studies done on shift work and cardiovascular disease, show night shift workers had a 40% increased risk of cardiovascular disease compared with day workers.
Individuals who have performed over 6 years of shift-work are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Over 1.8 million workers exposed to nightshift work in Canada 55% Male, 45% Female:
- 396,000 Trade Professions
54% Female, 46% Male - 261,000 Manufacturing
13% Female, 87% Male - 56,000 Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Oil & Gas
2% Female, 98% Male
THE SOLUTION
Smart, Non-intrusive, wearable tech
Smart, Non-intrusive, wearable tech that will enable diagnosis and alerts in case of irregularities in key vital signs.
We plan to integrate an array of sensors mounted onto a sweatband with a data collection unit which can be retrofitted onto an existing hard hat. The sensors monitor the temperature, heart rate and other key vital signs of the wearer. The system will alert workers and their managers when their vital signs hit critical markers.
This can help prevent severe outcomes when workers experience heart rate irregularities in the workplace.
Saving lives, reducing costs of retraining and time lost.
SAVES LIVES
SAVES MONEY
SAVES TIME
How it Works?
The body of our sweat bands will be made of a flexible materials wrapped in a sweat redistributing material, with vital information sensors taking measurements from the worker’s temples.
Heart rate parameter measurements will be taken continuously which will allow more accurate assessments on the individual level. In the long term, continuous data collection will serve to train AI to predict when arrhythmia with greater accuracy and earlier warning.
Data from the sensors will convert to a digital format for transmitting via Bluetooth to the worker’s mobile device and will be analyzed using special algorithms. Heart rate deviations identified as a result of the analysis will be displayed on the user’s mobile device and simultaneously duplicated for cloud storage. When pathological abnormalities are detected, alert signals are generated to the worker and their supervisors.