Bruise Age Measurement Sensor

In 2016, 70 percent of all child fatalities in the United States caused by physical abuse occurred in children younger than age 3. This unfortunate truth is reinforced by the fact that children under 3 may not be able to communicate verbally, or to easily and reliably report the details of their situations to authorities, physicians or social workers without prompting. For these reasons, there is a need for a device that can measure the reflectance of bruised skin over time. This reflectance data can be coupled with bruise physiology research to develop mathematical models that estimate the age of a bruise. The designed bruise age measurement sensor is a portable device that collects skin reflectance data using a miniature spectrometer and stores it on a micro SD card for further analysis. It uses lights at specific wavelengths to detect and isolate the reflectance of bruise metabolites, such as hemoglobin and bilirubin. Physicians or social workers can take measurements easily by lightly applying the device on the affected skin. The gentle application is achieved via feedback from the device’s two force sensors. The portability of the device allows physicians and social workers to visit multiple patients and victims, and aids in the process of early intervention in cases of physical abuse.