CRADL · Project

Wearable Lung Monitor That Helps Doctors Keep Premature Babies Breathing Safely

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Every year, 15 million babies are born too early, and many of them struggle to breathe because their lungs aren't fully developed. Doctors use ventilators to help, but they're essentially flying blind — they can't see what's happening inside those tiny lungs in real time. CRADL built a small wearable jacket that uses harmless electrical signals to create a live picture of how air moves through a baby's lungs, kind of like a continuous, radiation-free X-ray. This lets doctors adjust treatment on the spot instead of guessing, reducing the damage ventilators can cause.

By the numbers

15 million

Premature babies born each year globally

EUR 4,234,330

Total EU investment in the project

Consortium partners across 7 countries

Countries involved in development and testing

Industry partners in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Premature babies with respiratory failure need mechanical ventilation to survive, but doctors cannot see what is happening inside their tiny lungs in real time. Current imaging methods either use harmful radiation, are too expensive for continuous monitoring, or simply cannot detect the uneven air distribution that causes lung damage. This blind spot leads to preventable deaths and lifelong lung disability in a population of 15 million premature births per year.

The solution

What was built

CRADL developed a wearable jacket embedded with new microelectronic chips that uses electrical impedance tomography (EIT) to provide continuous, non-invasive, radiation-free bedside monitoring of lung aeration in infants. The project also produced clinical protocols for managing respiratory distress syndrome, bronchiolitis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome in preterm babies and children.

Audience

Who needs this

Neonatal medical device manufacturers (ventilators, patient monitors)Hospital networks expanding or upgrading their NICU equipmentWearable medical sensor and smart textile companiesPediatric respiratory care clinics and specialistsHealth technology distributors serving European hospital markets

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Medical device manufacturing

enterprise

Target: Companies producing neonatal monitoring equipment or ventilator systems

If you are a medical device manufacturer producing neonatal ventilators or patient monitors — this project developed a wearable jacket with microelectronic chips that uses electrical impedance tomography to give continuous, radiation-free lung images at the bedside. With 15 million premature births per year globally, integrating this EIT technology into your product line opens a significant neonatal intensive care market. The system was validated across 11 partners in 7 countries, giving it a strong clinical evidence base for regulatory submissions.

Hospital systems and NICUs

enterprise

Target: Hospital networks and neonatal intensive care units seeking better respiratory monitoring

If you run a neonatal intensive care unit dealing with respiratory failure in preterm infants — this project created a non-invasive, radiation-free bedside monitoring tool that shows real-time lung aeration maps. Currently, there is no bedside tool that can detect the uneven air distribution in infant lungs that leads to injury and death. This EIT-based system was designed to be cost-effective and easy to use, reducing the guesswork in ventilator management for your clinical teams.

Wearable health technology

SME

Target: Companies developing wearable sensors or smart textiles for clinical use

If you are a wearable technology company looking to expand into clinical-grade medical applications — this project produced a wearable jacket embedded with new microelectronic chips that performs continuous lung monitoring on infants. The underlying electrical impedance tomography technology is non-radiative and inexpensive, making it adaptable to other patient populations beyond neonates. The consortium included 2 SMEs and 3 industry partners who contributed to miniaturizing the electronics for wearable form factors.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does the device actually cost compared to existing imaging methods?

The project objective explicitly describes EIT as an 'inexpensive technique' compared to current imaging methods like CT scans and X-rays. Exact per-unit pricing is not available in the project data, but the total EU investment was EUR 4,234,330 across 11 partners, and the goal was a cost-effective tool that 'can be universally adopted.'

Can this technology scale to hospitals worldwide?

The project was specifically designed for universal adoption — the objective states the goal is tools 'that can be universally adopted to reduce deaths and disability in preterm babies.' Clinical protocols were developed and tested across 7 countries (CH, CY, DE, IT, NL, SE, UK) with 11 consortium partners, providing a strong foundation for international rollout.

What is the IP situation — can we license this technology?

The consortium includes 3 industry partners and 2 SMEs alongside 6 universities, suggesting IP is likely shared between academic and commercial partners. The key deliverable — the wearable jacket with new microelectronic chips — would involve patents on both the hardware and clinical protocols. Licensing inquiries should be directed to the coordinator at Middlesex University.

Has this been tested on real patients in clinical settings?

The project objective states that CRADL aimed to 'assess the effectiveness, efficacy and safety' of the EIT system in guiding respiratory management for the most common causes of paediatric respiratory failure including respiratory distress syndrome and bronchiolitis. The project ran for 3.5 years (2016-2019) with clinical partners across multiple countries.

Does this require special training for NICU staff?

The project explicitly aimed to create an 'easy to use' monitoring tool with clinical protocols that 'can be universally adopted.' The system was designed for bedside use during daily clinical care, suggesting it was built to integrate into existing NICU workflows without requiring specialized training beyond standard equipment onboarding.

What regulatory approvals does the device have?

Based on available project data, the project focused on demonstrating effectiveness, efficacy and safety. As an EU-funded research project that ended in 2019, CE marking or FDA approval status is not specified in the deliverable data. The multi-country clinical validation across 7 countries would support regulatory submissions.

Can this technology be adapted for adult patients?

The project focused specifically on neonates and children with respiratory failure. However, EIT technology is fundamentally applicable to any patient population — the core technique monitors lung aeration through electrical signals. The miniaturized wearable format developed in CRADL could potentially be scaled up for adult respiratory monitoring applications.

Consortium

Who built it

The CRADL consortium brings together 11 partners from 7 countries (CH, CY, DE, IT, NL, SE, UK), with a mix of 6 universities providing clinical and research expertise and 3 industry partners (including 2 SMEs) handling device development and commercialization. The 27% industry ratio is typical for a medtech research project where clinical validation dominates the work. The geographic spread across major European healthcare markets — Germany, UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Italy — gives the technology immediate credibility and clinical data from diverse healthcare systems, which is valuable for any company looking to bring this to market across Europe. The coordinator is Middlesex University in the UK, a higher education institution, meaning commercial licensing discussions would likely involve their technology transfer office.

MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY HIGHER EDUCATION CORPORATIONCoordinator · UK
LINNEUNIVERSITETETparticipant · SE
UNIVERSITE DE GENEVEparticipant · CH
CHRISTIAN-ALBRECHTS-UNIVERSITAET ZU KIELparticipant · DE
YPOURGEIO YGEIASparticipant · CY
PANAXEA BVparticipant · NL
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDONparticipant · UK
ACADEMISCH MEDISCH CENTRUM BIJ DE UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAMparticipant · NL

How to reach the team

Middlesex University Higher Education Corporation, UK — contact through their technology transfer office or the project website

Order a report on this consortium See MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY HIGHER EDUCATION CORPORATION profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the CRADL team to discuss licensing, integration, or clinical partnership? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the right people in the consortium.

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