Low-Cost Spirometer


WINNER: Winner of Technology to Aid Underserved Populations and Individuals with Disabilities Category

One of the biggest obstacles to treating respiratory diseases in the developing world is the lack of access to diagnostic technologies, specifically spirometers, which are medical devices used to measure lung function. Typical spirometers cost $1000-2000, rendering them unaffordable for developing world hospitals and clinics. In order to enable universal access to this important medical device, we designed an innovative fluidic oscillating spirometer with production costs of under $10 without compromising accuracy. This massive cost reduction could allow spirometers to enter both developing world healthcare markets and developed world consumer markets. We are currently developing technologies for our spirometer to interface with cell phones and telemedicine services, facilitating daily monitoring of chronic respiratory diseases. Through our prototyping process, we have proven that our unique design is able to drastically reduce the cost of a spirometer to under $10 in addition to increasing its durability, all without compromising accuracy or precision.