Simplified open HW /SW pulse oximetry interface for purpose of COVID-19 symptoms detection and monitoring

Abstract

A low cost, simplified hardware and software interface capable of measuring and analyzing photoplethysmogram signal is presented in this paper. Two most important vital signs, oxygen saturation and heart rate are extracted, while the same principle can be extended to other parameters associated to this signal. Overall system consists of specially designed analog front-end, based on the off-the-shell components and microprocessor of modest processor and memory capabilities, like Arduino series. In addition to hardware simplification, the optimized software algorithms for signal acquisition, process handling, on-chip signal processing, feature extraction and basic communication are demonstrated. Satisfactory and repeatable results are obtained with accessibility to raw signal. Developed interface is a low-cost alternative to expensive OEM solutions, especially suitable for its integration in wearables, telemedicine and IoT healthcare systems in process of COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment. The design challenges, starting idea, system architecture, implementation details and preliminary testing results are shortly elaborated.