Body function models

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In everyday clinical practice, the monitoring of heart rate, oxygen saturation in the blood or, for example, labour activity is standard. However, the field of application of monitoring devices is increasingly being extended to the home environment or the workplace. The development and marketing of such innovative monitoring devices is challenging, as the effectiveness must be proven by means of clinical studies. Especially studies in which the test persons leave the healthy physiological range are hardly feasible. So, to enable the validation of monitoring devices in exceptional situations such as a firefighting operation, we work with body function models that simulate the body. The body function models give manufacturers of monitoring devices the certainty that problematic situations are correctly recognised.

We develop mechatronic body function models that mimic actual physiological processes in such a way that they are recognised by the monitoring devices. For example, a pulse wave under an artificial skin can be simulated relatively easily using light. However, it becomes more difficult when a model is actually supposed to sweat. Often it is also important to include movements in the body function models to simulate human physiology.

It is important to us to develop the Köprer function models in a targeted manner for the respective application. That's why we work closely with partners from industry and research. We are currently working on an Innosuisse project together with a company to simulate problematic heat stress so that no test subjects are exposed to the danger of heat stroke.