Traditional treatment for arthritis and other forms of localized inflammation requires the use of an ice pack. For those who suffer from arthritis, accessibility to a cold pack is limited by the need for constant refrigeration. Moreover, physicians do not have a method to continually monitor localized patient inflammation, and this hampers the treatment of arthritis. To improve this, research has focused on developing a wearable system that continually monitors and provides relief of arthritic and localized inflammation symptoms.

This technology presents a multi-unit wearable pack that involves the coordination of the following units: sensing unit, intervening unit, and control unit. The sensing unit continuously monitors various parameters of the applied body part; the intervening unit provides pro-active or on- demand cooling treatment; the control unit records and analyzes the data, and allows for communication and transmission of data to an external server, which can be read by a physician or evaluated at a later time.

Competitive Advantages

• The majority of arthritic cold packs treatments are limited by cooling duration and access to a refrigerator. This technology provides added versatility for monitoring and treating arthritic inflammation throughout the day.
• The continuous sensing and intelligent treatment system provides recorded data that allows physicians to better treat arthritis and localized inflammation. This mitigates the negative downstream consequences of pain due to arthritis, such as disability, missed work, and opioid dependence.

Opportunity

• The global wearable medical devices market was valued at $13 billion in 2019 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 27.9% through 2027, reaching a value of $93.19 billion.

Rowan University is seeking a partner(s) for further development and commercialization of this technology. The inventor is available to collaborate with interested companies.