FUSMON – Sensor fusion for smarter health monitoring

Heart and brain diseases are currently among the greatest threats to public health and quality of life. Early detection and accurate diagnoses are essential to save lives and reduce the need for extensive care. Sensors that can measure heart sounds, heart impulses and brain oxygenation individually already exist, but the possibility of combining these signals to obtain a more comprehensive picture has so far been relatively unexploited.

In this project, researchers at Mid Sweden University and NTNU in Norway are joining forces with industry partners Coala Solutions and CATE Medical Devices to develop the next generation of advanced health measurement technology. Through so-called sensor fusion – where several types of measurement data are linked together – the project aims to create more reliable and informative decision-making data for healthcare.

On the cardiac side, the research group at Mid Sweden University is focusing on combining heart sounds and electrical impulses to use AI to better detect heart disease and locate where in the heart the problems occur. At the same time, NTNU and CATE are further developing the portable oximeter Oxycate by adding EEG to monitor both oxygenation and brain activity in acute conditions such as cardiac arrest, trauma and intensive care. A central part of the project is the sharing of AI methods and experiences between the heart and brain tracks. This knowledge transfer speeds up development and makes the solutions more robust.

The project covers everything from clinical data collection and analysis to AI modelling and the development of working prototypes. In the long term, the results are expected to lead to more reliable diagnoses, better decision support for healthcare professionals and increased survival and quality of life for patients. At the same time, the collaboration strengthens the regions' innovative capacity and lays the foundation for future commercialisation of the technology.