Self-Contained AED Security Block for Secure Connectivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are often heavy, expensive, and intimidating to use, particularly for non-medically trained individuals, and lack secure connectivity to emergency services and external data sources, making them inaccessible and vulnerable to cyber threats.
Innovation Solution
A Self-Contained Automated External Defibrillator (SCAED) system with integrated security features, including a security block for data validation and authentication, isolates shock generation functions from communication paths, ensuring secure data transfer and protecting against malicious cyber attacks, while providing connectivity through various communication modes and secure firmware updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If AEDs are made more accessible and portable, then availability to non-medically trained individuals improves, but device complexity and security vulnerabilities increase
Solution Approach 1:
A security block is introduced as an intermediary component between the communication block and AED operations block. This security block validates and authenticates all data transferred between these blocks, preventing malicious cyber attacks while maintaining the device's accessibility. The security block acts as a mediator that filters and secures communications without complicating the user interface or operation for non-medically trained individuals.
2Adaptability or versatility
If connectivity to external systems is added, then functionality and emergency response capability improve, but vulnerability to cyber threats increases
Solution Approach 1:
The security block performs preliminary anti-action by validating and authenticating all incoming and outgoing data before it reaches the AED operations block or communication block. This preemptive security measure prevents malicious cyber attacks from compromising the device's connectivity functions, allowing the AED to maintain versatile communication capabilities with emergency services while being protected against harmful factors.
3Reliability
If security validation is implemented, then protection against malicious attacks improves, but data transfer speed and system response time decrease
Solution Approach 1:
Security validation and authentication are performed as preliminary actions during device initialization and setup phases, rather than being executed in real-time during critical AED operations. The security block pre-validates communication protocols and data formats, so that during actual emergency use, the authentication processes have already been completed, minimizing time loss during critical data transfer and shock delivery operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A self-contained automated external defibrillator (SCAED) system includes an AED operations block for controlling shock generation and administration, including pads for attachment to a patient, an electrocardiogram monitoring circuitry for monitoring patient heartbeat, shock generating electronics for generating electrical shock signal to be applied to the patient through the pads, a battery for supplying power to the AED operations block, a power management block for managing power consumption by the shock generating electronics and monitoring power status of the battery, a memory, a user-interface block for providing use instructions and receiving user input, and a controller for regulating the ECG monitoring circuitry, shock generating electronics, and the power management block. The SCAED system also includes a communications block for communicating with an external system separate from the SCAED system. The SCAED system further includes a security block for regulating data transfer between the AED operations block and the communications block.