Development and Implementation of a Handheld Spirometer
Abstract
An increasing amount of people are being affected by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which is a group of lung diseases that causes blocked airways and breathing difficulties. Norsk Automatisering believes that being able to monitor the disease at home using a low cost spirometer may improve people's lives and give them a feeling of security. Therefore it is of interest to create a low cost, easy to use spirometer which can be used by people in their homes. The work described in the thesis is focused on the technical challenges involved in creating a complete spirometry system including electronics, mechanical encapsulation, and presentation of data with ease of use and a functional end-product in mind. A prototype of a low cost, wireless, easy to use, smart-phone controlled spirometer system has been researched, developed and successfully implemented. The implemented spirometer has been tested and evaluated. Background information on the disease, spirometry, measurement principles and technical aspects have been studied and presented.By implementing the prototype it is shown that the concept is feasible, and although there are several aspects of the prototype which should be improved, it is a solid foundation which can be used to develop a more advanced product in the future.