SBIR-STTR Award

New incidence of spinal cord injuries ranges from 250k to 500k globally each year, with up to 7 million people impacted worldwide. Currently almost 300k individuals are living in the United States with SCI and approximately 60% of those are considered quadriplegic. Spinal cord injury results in life-altering consequences in terms of morbidity, mortality, functional status, employment and quality of life. Beyond physical and mental impact on the individual, the economic and social impacts are extreme with average lifetime cost of care for a young adult at age 25 with high quadriplegia estimated to be $4.6 million. The range of functional impact most often depends on the level of injury and completeness. Higher level, more complete injuries cause more widespread weakness and paralysis. For quadriplegics with injuries at the cervical level, their ability to complete even the most basic ADLs are severely compromised, as they may only retain head control as well as some slight shoulder control, elbow flexion, and tenodesis grasp of objects. One of the most basic human needs is accessibility to water for wide ranging ADLs such as drinking, grooming, or face washing. However, control and delivery form factor of the water (On/Off, temperature, force & angle, and stream/spray type) have different requirements for unique ADLs. Traditional faucets can be very challenging, if not impossible, for an individual with high level SCI and limited control degrees of freedom to adjust and control for a given task requiring water. The Access-H20 smart faucet being developed by Nasoni, LLC will solve these market challenges by smart sensor integration, automated flow adjustment, & intuitive control algorithms to improve water accessibility for targeted ADLs in SCI. The smart faucet design delivers water through either a traditional downward spout or upward fountain delivery, allowing a single faucet to be used by all in a household. System design will integrate a sensor network (proximity, voice, camera, & eye gaze sensor) which can be calibrated based on remaining control degrees of freedom of the individual. Intelligent algorithm mapping will allow the user to activate the faucet for use and adjust it through various flow control features such as on/off, temperature, nozzle (spray or stream), force, and angle of water flow for a given task. For example, the faucet will automatically adjust to warm, spray, and higher delivery angle for face washing, as opposed to cold, stream, & lower delivery angle for drinking. While the fully commercialized Access-H2O will include all features above, this Phase I will demonstrate core feasibility of more independent drinking and grooming in SCI. Phase I will first focus on upgrading the existing static fountain design with a sensor and machine vision network, as well as novel electromechanical flow controls to automatically adjust water delivery. Next, smart algorithms will be designed to map individual user control inputs to targeted water delivery for drinking and face washing. Once the enhanced faucet and algorithms have been integrated and technical verified through bench testing, the prototype will be deployed in a pilot usability study with spinal cord injury subjects.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
Project Narrative The objective is to design, develop and demonstrate feasibility of Access-H2OTM, a sensor driven smart faucetto enable and empower independent drinking and grooming for individuals impacted by spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injury (SCI) severely impacts functional access to water, which is a key to increased independence and successful completion of activities of daily living (ADL). Therefore, commercialization of smart faucets, which canautomatically deliver water in target temperature, force, and nozzle setting for a specific ADL, have the potentialto empower individuals with SCI for greater independence and improved quality of life.

Project Terms:
Activities of Daily Living; Activities of everyday life; daily living functionality; functional ability; functional capacity; Affect; Age; ages; Algorithms; Award; Bladder; Bladder Urinary System; urinary bladder; Body Temperature; Clinical Research; Clinical Study; Constipation; Dehydration; body water dehydration; Disease; Disorder; Sterile coverings; Dressing; Eating; Food Intake; Elbow; Employment; Environment; Eye; Eyeball; Face; faces; facial; Feedback; Freedom; Liberty; Goals; Grooming; Hand; Head; Health care facility; Health Facilities; Healthcare Facility; care facilities; Household; Human; Modern Man; Incidence; Independent Living; Kidney; Kidney Urinary System; renal; Learning; Maps; Mental Health; Mental Hygiene; Psychological Health; Methods; Morbidity - disease rate; Morbidity; mortality; Movement; body movement; Multiple Sclerosis; Disseminated Sclerosis; insular sclerosis; Persons; Patents; Legal patent; Patients; Quadriplegic; Tetraplegia; tetraplegic; Quadriplegia; QOL; Quality of life; Medical Rehabilitation; Rehabilitation; rehab therapy; rehabilitative; rehabilitative therapy; Rehabilitation therapy; Research; Savings; scoliosis; Seasons; self esteem; Assistive Technology; assisted device; assistive device; Self-Help Devices; Shoulder; Medulla Spinalis; Spinal Cord; Spinal Cord Trauma; Spinal Trauma; Spinal cord injured; Traumatic Myelopathy; Spinal cord injury; Stress; Apoplexy; Brain Vascular Accident; Cerebral Stroke; Cerebrovascular Apoplexy; Cerebrovascular Stroke; brain attack; cerebral vascular accident; cerebrovascular accident; Stroke; Technology; Temperature; Testing; Translating; United States; Universities; Urinary tract; Virginia; Voice; Water; Hydrogen Oxide; Bathing; Baths; Social Impacts; Injury; injuries; base; sensor; improved; patient home care; Home Care; patient homecare; Cervical; Phase; Grips; grasp; mental; Psyche structure; disability; Intuition; Action Tremors; Intention Tremor; Individual; adult youth; young adulthood; young adult; Life; programs; Emotional well being; Feels well; Normal mental condition; Normal mental state; Normal psyche; Psychological Well Being; Sense of well-being; emotional wellbeing; emotional wellness; mental well-being; mental wellbeing; mental wellness; psychological wellbeing; psychological wellness; self wellness; sense of wellbeing; Well in self; Severities; Stream; Clinic; System; Location; Palsy; Plegia; paralysis; paralytic; Paralysed; gaze; experience; water flow; functional status; self reliance; drinking water; bladder infection; Infective cystitis; novel; economic impact; drinking; Brain Trauma; traumatic brain damage; Traumatic Brain Injury; Physical therapy; Physiatric Procedure; Physical Medicine Procedure; Physical Therapeutics; Physiotherapy; Membrum superius; Upper Limb; Upper Extremity; Adenock; Allo-Puren; Allozym; Allural; Aloprim; Alositol; Anoprolin; Anzief; Apulonga; Apurin; Apurol; Bleminol; Bloxanth; Caplenal; Cellidrin; Cosuric; Dabroson; Embarin; Epidropal; Foligan; Geapur; Gichtex; Hamarin; Hexanurat; Ketanrift; Ketobun-A; Ledopur; Lopurin; Lysuron; Miniplanor; Monarch; Nektrohan; Pan Quimica; Remid; Riball; Suspendol; Takanarumin; Urbol; Uricemil; Uripurinol; Urosin; Urtias; Xanturat; Zyloprim; Zyloric; Aloral; Involuntary Muscle; Smooth Muscle; Hydration; Hydration status; Address; Symptoms; Motor; Clinical Data; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; SBIR; Small Business Innovation Research; socioeconomics; socio-economic; socio-economically; socioeconomically; Development; developmental; life time cost; lifetime cost; design; designing; improved functioning; Spinal cord injury patients; SCI Patients; innovation; innovate; innovative; Impairment; usability; prototype; commercialization; arm; care costs; functional independence; machine vision; intelligent algorithm; smart algorithm; severe injury; critical injury; devastating injury

SCI incidence ranges from 250k-500k globally/year, with >7M people impacted. Currently >300k U.S. individuals live with SCI. SCI results in life-altering consequences in terms of morbidity, mortality, functional status, employment, and quality of life. For quadriplegics with cervical injuries, even basic ADLs are severely compromised. Individuals learn assistive strategies for ADLs such as eating, drinking, grooming, functional bathing, dressing, & toileting. Gaining independence is key factor for quality of life, as adding independent ADLs contributes to increased self-esteem, confidence, and better mental health. A key feature in many ADLs is access to water for drinking, washing, & grooming. However, control & delivery form factor of water (On/Off, temperature, force & angle, and stream/spray type) have different requirements for unique ADLs. Traditional faucets are very challenging, if not impossible, with high level SCI and limited control degrees of freedom to adjust and control. The Access-H2O smart faucet, being developed by Nasoni, LLC, will solve these market challenges by intelligent sensor integration, automated flow adjustment, intuitive control algorithms, & connected, cloud data architecture to improve water accessibility for targeted ADLs in SCI. The smart faucet design delivers water through either traditional downward spout or upward fountain delivery, allowing a single faucet to be used by all in a household. System design will integrate a sensor network (proximity, voice, camera, & eye gaze sensor) which can be calibrated based on an individual's remaining control degrees of freedom. Intelligent algorithm mapping will allow users to activate and adjust the faucet through various flow and temperature parameters for a given task. For example, the faucet will automatically adjust to warm, spray, and higher delivery angle for face washing, as opposed to cold, stream, and lower delivery angle for drinking. Finally, a connected, cloud data architecture and mobile app will support calibration, usability, remote service, and clinical reporting. This project will build on successful Phase I, in which a technical faucet foundation including flow control & sensors were designed/prototyped, control algorithms verified, & integrated system validated in pilot usability. This Phase II will expand that foundation with five overall Aims. 1) Optimize the current faucet design will be for form factor and sensor integration, as well as technically verified at the system level. 2) Enhance water control algorithms with expanded features, while novel diagnostic algorithms & connected digital ecosystem drive usability & support. 3) The enhanced platform will be tested for in clinic usability in the SCI target population. 4) Transition the design to formal manufacturing process to ensure that design meets performance standards and regulatory requirements and to produce pre-production prototypes for testing 5) Conduct in-home clinical trial to demonstrate effectiveness of Access H2O smart sensor faucet.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
The Phase II SBIR goal is to enhance, validate, and commercialize Access-H2O, a sensor driven smart faucet to enable and empower independent drinking and grooming for individuals impacted by spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injury (SCI) severely impacts functional independence & ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) with those impacted above C8 having limited use of arms and hands for drinking, washing, and grooming. Therefore, commercialization of smart fountain faucets, to automatically deliver water in target temperature, force, & nozzle setting for a specific ADL have potential to empower individuals with SCI for greater independence & improved quality of life.

Project Terms:
Activities of everyday life; daily living function; daily living functionality; functional ability; functional capacity; Activities of Daily Living; Algorithms; Architecture; Engineering / Architecture; Calibration; Clinical Trials; Sterile coverings; Dressing; dressings; Eating; Food Intake; Employment; Environment; Eye; Eyeball; Face; faces; facial; Foundations; Freedom; Liberty; Goals; Grooming; Hand; hands; Health care facility; Health Facilities; Healthcare Facility; care facilities; Household; Incidence; Intelligence; Learning; Maps; Marketing; Mental Health; Mental Hygiene; Psychological Health; Methods; Morbidity - disease rate; Morbidity; mortality; Persons; Production; Quadriplegia; Quadriplegic; Tetraplegia; tetraplegic; Quality of life; QOL; self esteem; Computer software; Software; Software Validation; Software Verification; Spinal cord injury; Spinal Cord Trauma; Spinal Trauma; Spinal cord injured; Traumatic Myelopathy; Target Populations; Technology; Temperature; Testing; Voice; Water; Hydrogen Oxide; Baths; Bathing; injuries; Injury; sensor; improved; Procedures; Clinical; Phase; Ensure; intuitive; Intuition; Individual; integrated system; system integration; Systems Integration; Life; Stream; Clinic; System; Location; gaze; Services; preference; field study; field based data; field learning; field test; Performance; success; functional status; drinking water; novel; empowerment; drinking; Devices; Reporting; Cervical spinal cord injury; Cervical Injury; Caregiver Burden; Burden on their caregivers; burden in caregivers; burden of their caregivers; burden on caregivers; case control; case-controlled; functional disability; Functional impairment; Membrum superius; Upper Limb; Upper Extremity; Effectiveness; Hydration; Hydration status; Adherence; Data; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; SBIR; Small Business Innovation Research; Update; cost; reconstruction; time use; designing; design; manufacturing process; innovate; innovative; innovation; Impairment; usability; new diagnostics; next generation diagnostics; novel diagnostics; prototype; commercialization; arm; mobile app; mobile device application; mobile application; digital ecosystem; functional independence; data infrastructure; smart algorithm; intelligent algorithm; critical injury; devastating injury; severe injury; homes; Home; diagnostic algorithm; manufacture