Treatments for blood clots and pulmonary embolism often involve medications with a litany of side effects or expensive procedures. But what if it was as simple as keeping a small, lightweight device in your bag? This is exactly what a group of Cal Poly students, including students from the Noyce School of Applied Computing, were thinking when they spent their senior year developing Voltah, an electrical stimulation device to prevent blood clots. The team was made up of Mackenzie Kettwig (CPE), Georgia Weeks (BUS), Noah Jeffrey (BMED), Willem Holzrichter (IE) and Ethan Waterhouse (BUS). The project was advised by Dr. Thomas Katona in the Biomedical Engineering Department and McCall Brinskele in the Orfalea College of Business.
What led to the idea for this project?
The team started with customer interviews to identify what problems people are facing and where there is a need that is not being met. It actually started out because the group was really interested in treating sports-related injuries. They looked into compression stockings but realized that they don’t really help with blood flow. The group started asking the questions of who is mainly using compression stockings, what needs are they trying to meet and what kind of market there is for a product like compression stockings that work to treat deep vein thrombosis. One of the group members had a family member who suffered complications due to deep vein thrombosis, so it became a lot more personal. With that connection, our group decided this is the issue we should be focusing on, and looking at what products can help solve this issue.
How does Voltah solve this issue?
Voltah helps combat deep vein thrombosis, which describes when a blood clot obstructs blood flow. Deep vein thrombosis can lead to pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening emergency that occurs when blood is blocked from flowing to the lungs. The Voltah device prevents this by sending electrical impulses to the leg, contracting the muscles and thereby stimulating blood flow to stop blood clots and deep vein thrombosis.
How did the product evolve over the project timeline?
The initial product idea was more of a mechanical sleeve that people would wear on their leg that would directly massage the leg to stimulate blood flow. However, when talking to potential consumers of the product, the general sentiment was that people did not want a large, bulky product that would make them feel more mechanical. The entire goal for consumers was to find a solution that was more convenient and did not impact their day- to- day. The group took this into account and completely changed the software of the product to reflect these desires, making an electrical stimulation device that is smaller and more lightweight than other products on the market.
What is the future of Voltah?
The advisors will continue to oversee development of this project as a senior project next year. Future plans for this product include further concept testing, development and trials to become FDA certified and enter the market.
Making an Impact
Voltah’s mission is to help treat deep vein thrombosis in a way that is convenient with a low impact on the lives of patients. Developing a product that will help people with health conditions continue to live their normal lives has been a rewarding process for the students involved. Mackenzie Kettwig, a student who helped develop the product said of Voltah, “At the end of the day, the products that we’re making for people or the services that we’re trying to provide for people is really important and whether or not they like it is the most rewarding part of like the job itself. It’s been one of the best experiences I’ve had at Cal Poly.”
