The Application of a Piezo-Resistive Cardiorespiratory Sensor System in an Automobile

Abstract

Respiratory and heart failure are conditions that can occur with little warning and may also be difficult to predict. Therefore continuous monitoring of these bio-signals is advantageous for ensuring human health. The safety belt is mainly designed to secure the occupant of the vehicle in the event of an accident. In the current research a prototype of safety belt is developed, which is used to achieve the respiratory and heart signal, under laboratory conditions. The current safety belt is constructed using the copper ink based peizo-resistive material, which works on the principle of pressure exerted on the sensor due to the expansion of the thorax/abdomen area of the body for respiration and due to the principle of ballistocardiography for heart signal sensing. The research explains the process of manufacturing the safety belt, preparation of cardio-respiratory sensor and integration of these sensors into the safety belt.