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School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering
Mechatronics postdoctoral fellow pioneers self-powered continuous blood pressure monitor
A new advancement in blood pressure (BP) monitoring could streamline efforts for continuous tracking.
Despite progress in wearable medical technology, measuring BP relies on cuff-based monitoring. This can be quite disruptive, interfering with a person’s daily activities and making uninterrupted tracking difficult.
To address this issue, Tae-Ho Kim a postdoctoral fellow from the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering (MSE) has developed a self-powered continuous blood pressure monitor. The wearable consists of a neckband with earphones that is portable, user-friendly and delivers precise measurements every few seconds. The innovation is detailed in a recent npj Biomedical Innovations article published on February 12, 2025.
“As BP monitoring plays a crucial role in assessing a patient’s health, there is an increasing need for an active care system. Our current cuff-based systems are inconvenient, bulky and require a 30-second delay to obtain results,” explains Kim.
“By developing a cuffless monitor, patients can carry on with their daily routines without interruptions, while healthcare professionals can effectively analyze the continuous changes in their patients’ blood pressure.”
Kim, his teammates at SFU’s Biomechatronic Systems Laboratory (BSL) and MSE professor Edward Park—who leads BSL and co-directs SFU's WearTech Lab— have integrated a triboelectric pulse-wave sensor into the wearable, combining it with a traditional box-knot textile design. The sensor converts mechanical energy from a person’s neck pulse into electrical signals, enabling highly sensitive detection of subtle pressure changes. By incorporating knotting methods, the device forms a multi-stacked structure that enhances the sensor’s sensitivity.
Last month, Kim was honoured for his revolutionary work at the 2025 Mitacs Innovation Awards, receiving the Outstanding Innovation Award. The accolade recognizes exceptional Mitacs participants whose research delivers major societal and economic impact and shows strong potential to drive innovation and tackle key challenges.
“Receiving the Mitacs Innovation Award is both a personal milestone and a professional catalyst,” says Kim.
“Personally, it validates years of work spent integrating materials, sensors and an embedded intelligent system into a unified platform for real-world impact. Professionally, this award strengthens and provides evidence for the innovation pipeline I have been building with Canada’s leading partners, including organizations such as Medtronic and Human in Motion Robotics. It also acknowledges the success of one of SFU’s Core Facilities, the WearTech Lab, which has provided essential research space, equipment and technical support for this project.”
Kim expresses his gratitude to professor Park for his guidance, to his lab mates Dominic, Saboorra, Nadia and Mahdi for their encouragement and collaboration, and to the Medtronic team for their support—all of which helped him achieve success.
He also credits the MSE program for contributing to his research achievements and academic growth.
“The program has been central to my development and is the primary reason I chose to remain at SFU for both my PhD and postdoctoral training. MSE uniquely integrates materials science, intelligent sensing, robotics and applied manufacturing within a single collaborative ecosystem—an environment that is rare in Canada,” explains Kim.
“I was fortunate to work with my PhD committee members, including professors Carolyn Sparrey, Woo Soo Kim and Edward Park, whose mentorship and support significantly broadened my research perspectives.”
As for the next phase of his BP monitor, Kim aims to evolve the device to include a new spectroscopic metric—the blood-vessel-density (BVD) factor—to reduce calibration variability in cuffless BP estimation. Through these advancements, he seeks to support the creation of more inclusive healthcare technologies.