Embedded Lab

Alex Wulff’s CastMinder is a Bluetooth-enabled sensor system designed to predict complications in orthopedic casts and splints. It is capable to detect conditions associated with the onset of complications, including skin infection, skin irritation, bleeding, and something called compartment syndrome, where an excess of pressure can lead to circulation loss in the casted limb.

The primary devices in the CastMinder system are tiny sensor nodes embedded inside of a cast or splint. These sensor nodes continuously collect data and dump it via Bluetooth to an iOS application which serves as the brains of the entire network. These small nodes are equipped with a variety of sensors, such as a pressure sensor to detect compartment syndrome, a temperature sensor to detect patient fevers, and a moisture sensor to detect skin bleeding and irritation. Other devices worn on the cast use electrical stimulation to lessen patient pain and stimulate bone growth. The entire system is controlled by the CastMinder iOS app, which can both analyze data to future conditions and alert physicians, nurses, patients, and more to potentially harmful changes in the status of the cast.