Development of a Custom Smartwatch for Medical Research: A Privacy-Focused Approach

Context

The use of smart devices in practical research projects offers the opportunity to bring medical technology into the 21st century. However, data privacy is a major challenge. In order to use such a device in studies, data protection guidelines must be adhered to. The problem here is that the data collected often has to be stored on the manufacturer's servers in order to be used.

This master's thesis therefore investigates whether and to what extent it is possible to expand and optimize an open source smartwatch for studies in the field of medical technology. PineTime, which enables the use of self-developed operating systems, serves as the basis. The aim of the implementation is to collect and store vital data and transfer it securely to a smartphone.

Finally, the extent to which a self-developed smartwatch can compete with commercially available devices in terms of functionality, data protection and practicality is analyzed.

Aufgaben

• You familiarize yourself with the system and explore possibilities for your implementation in your literature research.
• You compare existing smartwatches in terms of functions and data privacy.
• You will implement your technical concept as a prototype on the PineTime smartwatch. Adaptations to the hardware are also conceivable.
• You evaluate the practical suitability of your implementation, for example in one of our ongoing studies.

Voraussetzungen

• You are studying electrical engineering, medical technology, computer science, mechatronics or a related course.
• You are committed, motivated and have a careful and conscientious way of working.
• You have a keen interest in the development of software and hardware and ideally already have some experience in these areas.