SBIR Phase I: Fetal Monitoring During Exercise

Award ID: 2026152

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to develop fetal heart rate monitoring technology as part of the wearable fitness technology market, empowering women and clinicians to manage maternal health during pregnancy. The proposed system can disrupt the traditional fetal monitoring methods as the only wireless solution enabling real-time, continuous monitoring when a pregnant woman is exercising. This technology will potentially improve the quality of health and wellness of women and their babies during pregnancy, having the potential to offer new evidence-based guidance. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses the technical challenge of developing a wearable fetal monitoring device for pregnant women, specifically tailored for use during exercise. The project will use dry electrodes designed to minimize motion artifacts and improve the quality of the recorded signal, embedded in an abdominal compression garment for ease of use and comfort. The project will also develop machine learning algorithms to separate the confounded maternal and fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) signals and movement artifacts. The project objectives include: (1) optimize spatial density of sensors for accurate measurements; (2) identify the best sensor-incorporating smart clothing design based on functionality; (3) develop and refine signal processing algorithms for accurate filtering and data analysis; and (4)validate the performance of the resulting prototype for accurate fetal monitoring during exercise. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Alastair Monk