The health monitoring bracelet developed by Pramuka Sooriyapatabandig can measure vital signs such as heart rate, skin temperature, blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation. Moreover, the device should be inexpensive to manufacture and could be made in his home country of Sri Lanka, where access to medical care can be difficult. The bracelet recently won first place in the IEEE Telehealth Virtual Pitch Competition student category.

An IEEE student member says he was inspired to develop the Multipurpose Health Monitoring Wristband (MHMB) because non-communicable chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease account for 70 percent of deaths worldwide, and more than three-quarters of them are to developing countries. including Sri Lanka. The South Asian country is facing an economic crisis and its healthcare system is struggling, according to a UN report.


“When I started this research project, I didn’t have a clear understanding of health issues,” says Sooriyapatabandig, who this year received a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering from Jaffna University in Tirunelveli, Sri Lanka. “After participating in the competition, I got access to a huge amount of materials on remote health monitoring. I saw how much work is being done, what types of research are being done and what are the trends. Developing countries hardly use this information and I think we can do a lot in this area.”

Benefits of a remote system

People with chronic conditions, such as heart disease and cancer, have their vital signs checked regularly. But making an appointment with a doctor can be difficult, especially for people living in developing countries and other areas where there are not enough medical workers. Making an appointment can be difficult and travel to a medical facility can be time-consuming. One solution is to use telemedicine to monitor patients remotely.

The clinics form the backbone of Sri Lanka’s healthcare system. To avoid overcrowding, people can only visit the clinic on the appointed day, Sooriyapatabandige said. If vital sign monitoring could be done remotely, he said, it would reduce the number of people in facilities and free up medical staff to treat patients with more serious illnesses.

“Strengthening primary health care through a community- and family-focused integrated technology solution could be the key to tackling existing health challenges in Sri Lanka,” he says. “Home monitoring of key health parameters is important, and modern technology can meet this need.”

Cloud system that collects data in real time

hand with a large silver wearable smartwatch on the wrist with the inscription MHMBA prototype multipurpose health monitoring bracelet (MHMB) includes sensors to measure vital signs and uses photoplethysmography to measure heart rate. Pramuka Sooriyapatabandig

MHMB is designed as part of a centralized remote monitoring system. The battery-powered wearable device includes sensors to measure vital signs. It uses photoplethysmography to measure heart rate and includes the ability to take measurements in a single lead. The bracelet has no display and requires minimal attention from the user.

According to Sooriyapatabandige, the prototype cost about US$100 to develop.

The wearable device connects to the cloud via Wi-Fi. Medical staff can access patient data from the monitoring system or from the application. Patients can download the app on their phone to view their reading history.

“Home monitoring of key health parameters is important, and modern technology can meet this need.”

The bracelet can also be connected to blood pressure monitors, glucometers and other medical devices. Sooriyapatabandig says that because the MHMB can connect to tools, the band’s capabilities are not limited to measurements that can be taken on the wrist. It also makes the bracelet a central node or hub for a remote patient monitoring system that provides connectivity so that other devices can access the platform.

The ability to connect to other tools is not offered by any other similar wearable device, according to Sooriyapatabandige.

The system can be used in mass casualty scenarios, such as checking the vital organs of victims of natural disasters, for example, and in other situations where there are serious problems with the expansion of medical services, he said.

Clinical trials and possible patent

Sooriyapatabandige did not develop MHMB on its own. He worked on the design with fellow student Niloikant Loganathan and project leader Ragupatiraj Valluvan, a professor of electrical and electronic engineering at the University of Jaffna. Sooriyapatabandiga was also assisted by Rajendra Surenthirakumaran, dean of the university’s Faculty of Medicine, and Sivasoti Shanmugalingam, founder of DotsHook, a telecommunications company in Brittany, France.

Sooriyapatabandige and his team are currently developing a clinical trial version of the bracelet. The university applies for a patent to the National Intellectual Property Office of Sri Lanka.

Sooriyapatabandig says he plans to continue working in the field of biomedicine. He is studying for a Ph.D. embedded systems development programs, primarily related to biomedical applications.

Seeking Innovation in Telemedicine

This year, the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) held a competition to find innovations in telemedicine. The competition was overseen by the IEEE SA Healthcare and Life Sciences practice and the IEEE SA Transforming the Telehealth Paradigm Industry Connections program.

Recordings needed to be accessible and easy to use, while also protecting user privacy. They also needed to use low-cost materials, be scalable, work with other medical applications, and comply with local regulatory requirements. Applications were received from over 106 countries.

After winning the competition, Sooriyapatabandig gets to work with the local IEEE Humanitarian Technology Task Force to test the prototype.

He was a guest speaker on the third episode of the fourth season of the IEEE Re-Think Health podcast. In addition, he presented his project at the Transforming the Telehealth Paradigm event of the IEEE Standards Association.

“New and improved methods, such as remote patient monitoring, offer many advantages and benefits,” he says. “In order to ensure that more of the world can reap these benefits, it is important to encourage more people and organizations to participate in these initiatives. Our IEEE SA Telehealth project and competition aims to get the most out of these technologies as early as possible and make them available to everyone, everywhere.”

IEEE Membership Benefits

Sooriyapatabandig joined IEEE in 2018. He served as secretary of the student chapter of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society at his university. He has organized several events and collaborated with other IEEE societies.

These opportunities, he says, have helped him improve his leadership and organizational skills: “I got to know aspects of the various IEEE Societies and then determined what was best for me and what was my passion. The IEEE has also provided me with many opportunities, including this competition, to expand my knowledge and skills and connect with professionals and experts.”