Nobleo Intelligent Solutions developed a mechanical sensor solution for the tracking of labor contractions. The interval between contractions is used as a decision criterion whether or not a pregnant lady should be provided with clinical support (e.g. go to the hospital to give birth).

The sensor output is used as an input for just-in-time planning of prenatal care to ensure that professional support is available in the hospital when needed and prevents women to go to the hospital too early in the labor process.

A technology assessment and IP screening was performed to understand the state-of-the-art solutions available on the market. A pressure gauge was found to be the best suited technology available.

Nobleo designed a pressure gauge into a handheld device to track the interval between contractions and design the over-all housing. Different housing designs were explored to ensure compliance to usability and manufacturability requirements for the device (IEC60335).

Figure 1 – Design output for wearable device

A series of 50 prototypes was manufactured and assembled.  Nobleo executed the project in close co-operation with a manufacturing facility in the Ukraine. Nobleo provided the start-up company with a manufacturing partner to prepare for mass production of the product at a competitive price-point. The sensor data is used to predict the time of birth. The prediction is used to plan professional care for the mother of the unborn child.

Please reach out to us if you are looking for:

• competitor analysis & IP landscaping
• design of a custom sensor solution (either custom made or with off-the-shelve components)
• sensor solutions and signal processing know-how
• manufacturing of a prototype series (both technical & esthetic design)