DOVE: Noninvasive Shoulder-based Opioid Overdose Detection Device

Opioid overdose-related deaths have surpassed 120,000 globally between 2020 and 2021. Over 52% of these deaths occur when the individual is alone. Immediate response to an overdose by delivering naloxone automatically can save the individual’s life. To increase willingness to wear such a device amongst this population, a closed-loop sensor driven auto-injector is required. The shoulder is a canonical intramuscular injection site. Detecting an opioid over-dose on the shoulder is critical in developing such a device. In this paper, we present DOVE, a device capable of noninvasively measuring changes in blood oxygenation levels and heart rate on the shoulder in real-time using optical sensors to detect an overdose.