Respire Wave
Department of Industrial Design, National Kaohsiung Normal University
四點設計 Contact to Respire Wave for cooperation
Pulmonary fibrosis is a rapidly progressive, unpredictable lung disease with a high mortality rate. The patient's lung function usually deteriorates gradually over several years but may even progress rapidly due to an acute exacerbation, leading to respiratory failure. The average five-year survival rate is less than 50 percent, and the mortality rate is even higher than that of some cancers. In Taiwan, there are 200 to 300 new cases each year, but the number of deaths is almost the same, reflecting the severity of the disease.
Because the early symptoms are not obvious, more than 50% of patients have been misdiagnosed as having asthma, COPD, or heart disease, and most are already in the middle or late stages when diagnosed. Clinically, 79% of patients can hear "bilateral lower lung rales" (Crackles) when auscultating their lungs. This is an important indicator for doctors to assess the worsening of the disease. However, currently, it can only be detected through auscultation during follow-up visits. Patients are unable to monitor themselves, resulting in missing the golden opportunity for treatment when the disease worsens.
Respire WAVE is a smart monitoring device designed specifically for patients with pulmonary fibrosis. It uses AI to intelligently analyze changes in lung sounds, instantly detect changes in crackle intensity, and combines blood oxygen and respiratory rate to provide complete lung health monitoring, helping patients detect the worsening of their condition early.
The wearable design is convenient for daily use. Patients do not need to rely on hospital auscultation to track changes in lung function over a long period, helping doctors obtain complete data, improve diagnostic accuracy, optimize treatment decisions, and reduce the risk of acute deterioration.
