Advanced Hospital Bed System

Project Goal: Prevent the formation of pressure ulcers in patients via an autonomous sense and response system.

Pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores, are a recurring problem for immobile patients and often lead to infection, necrosis and other complications, which are resource-and cost-intensive to address. This project aims to prevent the formation of bed sores.

A dynamic air pressure mattress system has an embedded sensing device that sends pressure data to a central computer. This computer reads the pressure data, identifies potential areas of risk and determines the appropriate redistribution in pressure for the bladders in the mattress. The computer sends these commands to a microcontroller, which distributes the signals to specific solenoid valves that control and distribute the pressure as commanded.

The system identifies high-pressure locations on the patient's body and actively redistributes the pressure before these locations cause pressure ulcers. There is an LCD screen with user controls to manually adjust certain bed parameters, monitor the state of the system and reset the air mattress system.