Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/297333
Faces of Technology When parents bring a newborn baby home from the hospital, they are often overwhelmed by the fact that this tiny person's health and happiness now rests solely on their sleep- deprived shoulders. These once rational DGXOWVFDQÀQGWKHLUPLQGVUDFLQJZLWKWKH endless possibilities of things that could go wrong with their beautiful new bundle. While most children emerge from infancy relatively unscathed, these parents' worries are not entirely unfounded. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) claims approximately 2,500 lives each year and strikes without warning, usually with seemingly healthy, sleeping babies. It is the leading cause of GHDWKDPRQJLQIDQWVLQWKHÀUVW\HDURIOLIH But University of Florida student researcher Meiyu Li is studying ways to put parents' fears to rest, at least in terms of SIDS. She has found a way to use radio frequencies to monitor heartbeat and respiration from a distance, without attaching any sensors to the body. "I'm thrilled that this research could revolutionize the way we detect these vital signs and eventually save lives," said Li. In partnership with Orlando-based Structured Monitoring Products, she will embed a miniaturized chest wall motion sensor within baby monitors to detect heartbeat and respiratory movements. "In a recent breakthrough, we found that we could detect the vital signs of two people simultaneously," said Li. "Which means that if you have twins at home you could monitor the vitals of both babies simultaneously with one monitor and save a lot of money." In addition to medical applications for people and animals, she said her work could also assist in search and rescue missions. But, she's not stopping there. Li's goals include using Pursuing Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering | University of Florida Education: Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida Masters in Instrumentation Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (China) Faculty Advisor: Jenshan Lin, Ph.D., Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering Corridor Matching Grants Research Program project conducted with: Structured Monitoring Products her research to create a fully functioning human activity monitor that could detect whether someone is walking, sleeping or even if they have fallen. She says the non-invasive nature of this technology could potentially be used for long-term daily monitoring of infants or the elderly. Li stresses the importance of students getting involved in research because it's where they can apply what they've learned in class. And, she added that with all the excellent universities in Florida generating great ideas, the potential high tech opportunities are limitless. Starting a Career Focused on Saving Lives Meiyu Li s p e c i a l s e c t i o n student PLAY