Project number
27045
Organization
Senphonix
Offering
ENGR498-F2026-S2027
Senphonix is commercializing SleeveSense™, a continuous vital signs monitoring platform for inpatient and outpatient use. In the inpatient setting, SleeveSense communicates wirelessly via LoRa (Long Range) radio technology using a single Senphonix-provided LoRa radio deployed per hospital floor or unit. The LoRa radio has its own dedicated secure cellular connection to the Senphonix cloud, operating independently of the hospital’s network and requiring only a standard 110V outlet. Each patient bed is equipped with a Powercast bedside RF charging unit operating at 915 MHz; the LoRa radio and all Powercast units on the floor share the same frequency band and must coexist reliably.
A reliable LoRa link between the sleeve and the radio is essential for continuous, uninterrupted vital signs monitoring. However, real hospital environments present significant RF challenges: metal bed frames, medical equipment, thick concrete and drywall partitions, elevator shafts, and adjacent patient rooms all affect signal propagation in ways that standard free-space models do not capture. Senphonix deploys one LoRa radio per hospital floor or unit, relying on the long-range characteristics of LoRa to cover an entire ward from a single radio. Senphonix currently lacks empirical data on actual signal coverage, interference patterns, and whether a single radio can reliably serve all patient beds on a floor under real-world hospital configurations. The number of radios required per floor may vary depending on floor plan geometry and RF environment, and this study will establish the empirical basis for that determination.
This capstone project will systematically characterize LoRa signal propagation in a simulated and, where possible, actual hospital environment, and deliver a validated deployment specification that Senphonix's installation team can use to configure each clinical site correctly before the first patient is fitted.
Beyond characterizing coverage with the current hardware, Senphonix sees a parallel opportunity this project may pursue: to develop an improved, hospital-optimized antenna for the LoRa/cellular radio that maximizes in-building coverage and link reliability, and (if the measurement data supports it) to explore the preliminary design of a new LoRa/cellular radio purpose-built for Senphonix in place of the current off-the-shelf unit. Coverage characterization (Objectives 1–8) remains the core, must-complete deliverable; the antenna and device design work described below is a stretch objective to be scoped with the team based on progress and available time.
A reliable LoRa link between the sleeve and the radio is essential for continuous, uninterrupted vital signs monitoring. However, real hospital environments present significant RF challenges: metal bed frames, medical equipment, thick concrete and drywall partitions, elevator shafts, and adjacent patient rooms all affect signal propagation in ways that standard free-space models do not capture. Senphonix deploys one LoRa radio per hospital floor or unit, relying on the long-range characteristics of LoRa to cover an entire ward from a single radio. Senphonix currently lacks empirical data on actual signal coverage, interference patterns, and whether a single radio can reliably serve all patient beds on a floor under real-world hospital configurations. The number of radios required per floor may vary depending on floor plan geometry and RF environment, and this study will establish the empirical basis for that determination.
This capstone project will systematically characterize LoRa signal propagation in a simulated and, where possible, actual hospital environment, and deliver a validated deployment specification that Senphonix's installation team can use to configure each clinical site correctly before the first patient is fitted.
Beyond characterizing coverage with the current hardware, Senphonix sees a parallel opportunity this project may pursue: to develop an improved, hospital-optimized antenna for the LoRa/cellular radio that maximizes in-building coverage and link reliability, and (if the measurement data supports it) to explore the preliminary design of a new LoRa/cellular radio purpose-built for Senphonix in place of the current off-the-shelf unit. Coverage characterization (Objectives 1–8) remains the core, must-complete deliverable; the antenna and device design work described below is a stretch objective to be scoped with the team based on progress and available time.