Reliable Operation in Difficult Conditions
![NDD - lung function - spirometry - spirometer](https://nddmed.com/_Resources/Persistent/07b59877ba110e227f5df6879a6a03928d600b4b/Dolphin-730x357.png)
ndd continues the cooperation with Dr. Andreas Fahlman in order to measure lung function in marine mammals at the Oceanogràfic in Valencia. In cooperation with the company g&o embedded systems, a special flow sensor was developed for these animals. The prototype uses 4 active ultrasonic flow sensors. With this setup, peak flow rates of dolphins reaching 80 l/s were successfully measured.
The graph below shows the flow/volume loop of a dolphin (blue line) compared to that of a human (red line). In a next step, the system will be further developed in order to measure flows in even larger animals (e.g., Beluga whales) reaching flow rates of up to 200 l/s, which is more than ten times the flow measured in human athletes. Thanks to the fast response time, the robustness, and the calibration-free operation of ndd’s flow sensor this will be the first time that such flow rates can be accurately measured in these animals.
![NDD - Spirometry - spirometer - peak flow rate](https://nddmed.com/_Resources/Persistent/6b58734b40dac6c139f2d4a46d645af51e9b6571/Graph.jpg)