AUTONOMOUS EDGE-AI RESPIRATORY INSIGHT SYSTEM (AERIS): An AI-Driven Wearable Micro-Ultrasound Patch for Continuous Pulmonary & Fluid Analytics

About the Project

micro-ultrasound innovation engineered to address the critical clinical gap in continuous, non-invasive pulmonary fluid monitoring for patients suffering from chronic cardiopulmonary conditions, including Chronic Heart Failure (CHF), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and severe asthma. Patients with these conditions frequently experience sudden acute respiratory decompensation between routine outpatient clinical assessments. Current home-monitoring solutions, such as pulse oximeters and smartwatches, only capture indirect physiological markers like peripheral oxygen saturation and heart rate, which often lag behind underlying pulmonary changes. Conversely, conventional Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) provides direct visualization of pulmonary B-lines indicative of extravascular lung water but remains heavily constrained by bulky machinery, compulsory acoustic gel, and absolute dependency on trained clinical operators. AERIS overcomes these limitations by integrating a flexible, gel-free Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (cMUT) array, local Edge-AI signal processing, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) telemetry, and an intelligent digital analytics platform into a single wearable chest patch. The system continuously captures raw pulmonary acoustic data, which is processed locally on-device using an ultra-low-power Edge-AI microcontroller to identify, quantify, and track ultrasound B-line dynamics in real time without continuous cloud connectivity. By constructing individualized, longitudinal respiratory profiles, AERIS transitions pulmonary assessment from episodic clinical visits to predictive, patient-centered monitoring. The innovation directly supports UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), specifically SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) through proactive chronic disease management, SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) by pioneering wearable biomedical AI systems, and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) through the deployment of sustainable bio-resin substrates. Designed for multi-sector application across home healthcare, remote patient monitoring (RPM), post-discharge surveillance, and clinical cardiology, AERIS demonstrates exceptional commercial potential with a low prototype material cost of RM215.00. Validated through acoustic phantom lung testing and supported by a 500-respondent public acceptance survey, AERIS establishes a scalable, accessible, and transformative model for next-generation respiratory healthcare.