Communications of the ACM
Teen Invents $41 Smartwatch That Can Monitor, Treat Drug Overdoses
The Rescue Response Smartwatch incorporates multiple biosensors and an onboard naloxone cartridge.
Credit: Steve Dou
Steve Dou, a California high school senior, has created a smartwatch to detect drug overdoses before they're fatal. The device uses a complex system of biosensors that can monitor a user's body around the clock, detecting changes indicative of an overdose in measurements such as oxygen level, heart rate, and muscle movement.
Dou came up with the idea for the smartwatch at age 13 when he witnessed his brother suffer an opioid overdose. Dou cold-emailed numerous research groups, and a researcher at the University of Central Florida invited him to join a bioengineering lab to work on the project.
Trained on a clinical dataset, the smartwatch automatically sends an alert to 911 if the user's measurements pass a threshold. An onboard naloxone cartridge that can be activated and used during an emergency.
Dozens of copies of the Rescue Response Smartwatch have been built. It costs $41 to make, and Dou believes he could decrease it to as low as $22.
From PR Newswire
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