Industrial - Bachelors
The Tummy Tally is a non-invasive, continuous, at-home fetal movement monitor designed to to count baby’s kicks during the final trimester of pregnancy. Through a combination of electromyography, accelerometer data, and smart signal processing algorithms, it alerts the users to possible signs of impending fetal compromise.
The rate of stillbirth in Australia has remained unchanged for over 20 years, with 1 in 135 pregnancies reaching the third trimester resulting in stillbirth . Despite the quality of Australian antenatal care, it is estimated that up to 30% of stillbirths may be preventable. The key to achieving this reduction is detecting instances of decreased fetal movement. Currently, there are no reliable methods to monitor DFM outside clinical environments, with the medical gold standard for detecting DFM being fully reliant on maternal perception. This is unreliable, as many mothers are unaware of the significance of tracking fetal movement or are unable to accurately pay attention to these metrics at home.
Up to 30% of stillbirths may be preventable through better awareness and detection of decreased fetal movement in third trimester pregnancies.
This project has addressed the antiquated at-home protocol of fetal monitoring and limitations of antenatal care by exploring innovations in continuous, at-home, non-invasive, wearable fetal monitoring. In recent years, the market for wearables has accelerated substantially with rapid diffusion of wearable technology seen particularly within the industries of health and fitness. While the healthcare system, as a whole, lags behind this trend, the overall technological and social landscape is primed for opportunity and innovation.
A review of the literature took a lens to current antenatal protocol, patient behaviour and analysed the effectiveness of various sensor based technologies in tracking FM. Findings showed that accelerometers and various combinations with piezoelectric diaphragm sensors, acoustic sensors and EMG sensors are able to outperform maternal perceptions of DFM in static environments, and in many cases provide a highly accurate continuous depiction of FM.
Two rounds of primary research were deployed to answer literature gaps surrounding patient behaviour and clinical implications for antenatal protocols. Insights gained from a patient survey and interview with a Senior Midwife found that up to 47% of pregnant patients experience DFM and did not contact their antenatal clinic. Further findings suggest this high number is likely attributed to lack of awareness surrounding the normal amount of fetal movements, lack of education surrounding the importance of detecting DFM, reluctance to be a burden on the healthcare system and lack of effective methods of tracking FM.
Ethical considerations were also investigated in order to understand the opportunity cost of a continuous monitoring device as a review of the literature was not conclusive regarding patient anxiety. Primary research results found that the vast majority of patients who were educated on the importance of tracking FM in the third trimester would find peace of mind having access to continuous FM data. Furthermore, they would be comfortable sharing their health data.
Overall, the insights from this research strongly validate the utility of developing a continuous fetal monitoring device and its ability to integrate easily with the current antenatal practice. Opportunities to improve FM monitoring, increase education of DFM and enhance the dialogue between patient and care provider are key themes that guided the design and development of the product.
The Tummy Tally is a non-invasive, continuous, at-home fetal monitor designed to to count baby’s kicks during the final trimester of pregnancy. Through a combination of electromyography, accelerometer data, and smart signal processing algorithms, it is estimated that the device can detect fetal movements with up to 92% accuracy. This outperforms maternal perception by a significant amount.
Every baby has unique and repeatable daily movement patterns. The Tummy Tally device is able to learn these patterns and alert the user in instances where there are abnormalities. When this occurs the device vibrates and sends a push notification to the user’s phone instructing them to contact their maternity assessment unit immediately where they will be asked further questions. In many cases, this could result in an emergency induction.
Luke is a Designer with an interest in creating impact using digital technology for thoughtful solutions. He has a versatile background working in Creative Industries and UI/UX Design.