Technology

Robust standard hardware, open architecture.

From the sensor in the room to the dashboard: every layer built on proven, maintainable components — privacy-compliant and offline-capable.

Architecture

Data flow in four layers.

LayerComponentRole
WearableSmartwatch (model-agnostic)Heart rate, SpO₂, movement — over Bluetooth Low Energy
Radio bridgeESP32-S3 (1 per room)Reads the watch over BLE, captures WiFi-CSI, sends via WiFi
ServerLocal appliance (mini-PC)Storage, analysis, notification logic, dashboard
InterfaceWeb dashboardPer-resident status, roles, notifications

The radio bridge: ESP32-S3

One ESP32-S3 module works in each room. It combines Bluetooth 5 (more stable connection to wearables) with WiFi and enough memory for CSI buffering and simple analysis right at the edge of the network.

  • Bluetooth 5 for stable smartwatch connectivity
  • WiFi-CSI directly in the radio chip
  • Local buffering during network outages
  • Module cost in the single-digit euro range
  • Roadmap: ESP32-C6 (WiFi 6 / Matter)

Software stack

Proven and maintainable — no exotic special stack:

  • Backend: Python / FastAPI
  • Database: SQLite (small homes) to PostgreSQL (hospitals)
  • Local message bus: MQTT (Mosquitto)
  • Dashboard: modern web interface
  • Smartwatch adapters as swappable plugins
WiFi-CSI

Wearable-free sensing — realistically framed.

CSI uses the subtle changes in existing WiFi signals to detect movement in a room. We use it where it works reliably today.

Reliable today

  • Presence / room occupied
  • Movement vs. stillness
  • Suspected falls as a hint

Research roadmap

  • Breathing / heart rate via radio alone
  • Person separation in multi-bed rooms
  • Fine-grained pose recognition

Based among others on Espressif's ESP-CSI toolkit and publicly published CSI sensing research.

Security & privacy

Privacy by design.

🔒

Encryption

Data encrypted at rest and in transit (TLS on the local network).

🏠

Stored locally

Processing inside the facility. Cloud only optional and encrypted.

🪪

Pseudonymisation

Personal identity kept separate from measurement data where feasible.

👥

Roles & rights

Separate access rights for care, physicians and administration.

🚫

No camera/mic

CSI uses radio only — no image or audio recording.

📜

GDPR

Data processing agreements and impact assessment as part of rollout.

Regulatory path

Stepwise model: comfort first, medical device later.

A fast, responsible market entry — with clear wording at every stage.

1

Today · Wellness / comfort

Notification system for care staff. No diagnosis, no therapy. This enables a fast pilot operation.

2

Build-up · Quality

Quality management to ISO 13485, software lifecycle to IEC 62304, risk management to ISO 14971.

3

Goal · MDR Class IIa

Conformity under the EU Medical Device Regulation as a later stage for selected functions.

4

Ongoing · Evidence

Accompanying studies and data analysis on effectiveness, together with pilot partners.

Wording policy: as long as there is no MDR conformity, Ethical Saving communicates solely as a notification and comfort system. We deliberately avoid claims such as "detects diseases" or "replaces monitoring".