Kernel

The Gates Foundation and Wired Magazine asked fuseproject to create a concept for a diagnostic health care device. Kernel is our answer to the complications of treating chronic illnesses in the developing world, malaria in particular.

Designed to work with a wide range of standard handsets and smart phones; Kernel test results are transmitted via bluetooth to the mobile app allowing patients to be continuously monitored remotely via the cloud, with reminders such as medicine intake or doctor’s visits. The Kernel application allows detection of illness, monitoring and guiding of treatment and the potential for cloud based medical records. Nurses and doctors can oversee treatment schedules, which the device enforces by displaying reminders. Kernel’s simplified system is based on recognizable iconic shapes to represent each diagnostic area, which allows for a quick visual read and ease of use.

The key challenge in the Kernel device itself is transforming biological material into data. This is traditionally done through a process such as paper-based lysis that requires chemicals and heat to generate a reaction, and then a person to transcribe results. Kernel diagnostic amulet proposes the use of digital analysis to radically shrink these processes and embed them in a reusable, rather than disposable device. Science inside: the compact unit slides open to reveal a micro-perforated pad divided into four quadrants; red for blood, yellow for urine, blue for saliva and green for breath. The pad separates bio samples and parses them, then transmits data for analysis through a mobile app via Bluetooth. Kernel is embedded with medical tests, taps doctors for remote health consultations, and lets patients continuously monitor their health.