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. 2022 Aug 1:256:119216.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119216. Epub 2022 Apr 19.

Open-source FlexNIRS: A low-cost, wireless and wearable cerebral health tracker

Kuan-Cheng Wu  1 , Davide Tamborini  2 , Marco Renna  2 , Adriano Peruch  2 , Yujing Huang  2 , Alyssa Martin  2 , Kutlu Kaya  2 , Zachary Starkweather  2 , Alexander I Zavriyev  2 , Stefan A Carp  2 , David H Salat  2 , Maria Angela Franceschini  2
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Free article

Open-source FlexNIRS: A low-cost, wireless and wearable cerebral health tracker

Kuan-Cheng Wu et al. Neuroimage. .
Free article

Abstract

Currently, there is great interest in making neuroimaging widely accessible and thus expanding the sampling population for better understanding and preventing diseases. The use of wearable health devices has skyrocketed in recent years, allowing continuous assessment of physiological parameters in patients and research cohorts. While most health wearables monitor the heart, lungs and skeletal muscles, devices targeting the brain are currently lacking. To promote brain health in the general population, we developed a novel, low-cost wireless cerebral oximeter called FlexNIRS. The device has 4 LEDs and 3 photodiode detectors arranged in a symmetric geometry, which allows for a self-calibrated multi-distance method to recover cerebral hemoglobin oxygenation (SO2) at a rate of 100 Hz. The device is powered by a rechargeable battery and uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for wireless communication. We developed an Android application for portable data collection and real-time analysis and display. Characterization tests in phantoms and human participants show very low noise (noise-equivalent power <70 fW/√Hz) and robustness of SO2 quantification in vivo. The estimated cost is on the order of $50/unit for 1000 units, and our goal is to share the device with the research community following an open-source model. The low cost, ease-of-use, smart-phone readiness, accurate SO2 quantification, real time data quality feedback, and long battery life make prolonged monitoring feasible in low resource settings, including typically medically underserved communities, and enable new community and telehealth applications.

Keywords: Bluetooth low energy; Cerebral oximetry; Community health; NIRS; Wearable device.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest DHS has a financial interest in Niji Corp, a company developing a suite of home/remote usage digital biomarker tools for the identification and assessment of individuals with Alzheimer's disease. MAF has a financial interest in 149 Medical, Inc., a company developing diffuse correlation spectroscopy technology for assessing and monitoring cerebral blood flow in newborn infants. DHS and MAF interests were reviewed and are managed by Massachusetts General Hospital and Mass General Brigham in accordance with their conflict of interest policies.

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