{"id":137829,"key":"Open-Source_Light_Calibration_System_for_Hyperbilirubinemia_Phototherapy_Treatments","title":"Open-Source Light Calibration System for Hyperbilirubinemia Phototherapy Treatments","latest":{"id":1244603,"timestamp":"2026-04-25T01:12:58Z"},"content_model":"wikitext","license":{"url":"https://www.appropedia.org/Appropedia:Copyrights","title":"CC-BY-SA-4.0"},"source":"{{FAST notice}}\n\n[[File:OSlightsensor.jpg|thumb]]\n\n{{Publication data\n| type = Paper\n| location = London, Ontario, Canada\n| year = 2026\n| cite-as = Joshua T.M. Givans, Augustine Waswa, June Madete, and Joshua M. Pearce. Open-Source Light Calibration System for Hyperbilirubinemia Phototherapy Treatments. ''Exploration of Digital Health Technologies'' 2026;4:101184. https://doi.org/10.37349/edht.2026.101184 [https://www.academia.edu/164559214/Open_source_light_calibration_system_for_hyperbilirubinemia_phototherapy_treatments Academia OA] [https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.01.25332669v1 MedRXiv preprint]\n}}\n\n{{Project data\n| status = Designed, Modelled, Prototyped, Verified\n| verified-by = FAST\n| uses = 3D Printing\n| links = https://doi.org/10.37349/edht.2026.101184\n| location = London, ON\n}}\n\nAim: Neonatal jaundice or neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is a common medical condition impacting newborns and pathological jaundice if left untreated, leads to neurological encephalopathy and/or death. The majority of pathological jaundice cases occur in low and middle- income countries (LMIC). Phototherapy has been determined to be the safest and most effective treatment for jaundice. Although inexpensive light-emitting diodes are available on the market, commercial phototherapy devices are expensive (~US$2,000), which creates a barrier to access for these devices in LMIC. Efforts to construct cost-effective phototherapy units have been implemented in the past, but need a method to validate the intensity and wavelength of light received by the infant at a distance away from the source.\n\nMethods: To enable low-cost phototherapy units to be used clinically, this study provides an open-source, low-cost, distributed manufacturing approach to create a light sensor to calibrate phototherapy units. This instrument is a necessary component of any open-source phototherapy treatment used in a clinical setting. This novel instrument was validated by comparing its irradiance and wavelength reading to the commercially calibrated Ocean Insight UV-VIS spectrometer under varying lighting conditions, including that of the existing Datex-Ohmeda Giraffe Spot PT Lite phototherapy equipment accessible through Victoria Children’s Hospital Neonatal Care Ward in London, Ontario, and Kiambu County Hospital in Kenya.\n\nResults: The results of this study have demonstrated that for under US$150, a phototherapy calibration device can be constructed capable of measuring up to 200 uW/cm<sup>2</sup>/nm with an accuracy of 98.6% and detect the peak wavelength within ±12.5 nm.\n\nConclusions: It can be concluded that 3D printed open-source irradiance meters are a viable option for calibrating phototherapy units in LMIC to treat hyperbilirubinemia.\n\n* Source code: https://osf.io/7dqp6/,\n* [https://www.theimpactproject.ca/stories/josh-givans Impact Project]\n\n{{video|F3nmdVpZg9I}}\n\n{{Pearce publications notice}}\n\n== Keywords ==\n\n light therapy, LED, severe neonatal jaundice, jaundice, hyperbilirubinemia, phototherapy, appropriate medical, 3D printing, additive manufacturing, open hardware, open-source hardware, frugal innovation, frugal biomed, biomedical engineering, light sensor, open hardware\n\n== See also ==\n\n{{Pearce-OSmedical}}\n\n* [[Open Source Neonatal Light Therapy Device]]\n* [[Emergence of Home Manufacturing in the Developed World: Return on Investment for Open-Source 3-D Printers]]\n* [[Life-cycle economic analysis of distributed manufacturing with open-source 3-D printers]]\n* [[Quantifying the Value of Open Source Hardware Development]]\n\n{{Page data\n| title-tag = Open Source Neonatal Light Therapy Device\n| part-of = FAST Completed\n| keywords = light therapy, LED, severe neonatal jaundice, jaundice, hyperbilirubinemia, phototherapy, appropriate medical, 3D printing, additive manufacturing, open hardware, open-source hardware, frugal innovation, frugal biomed, biomedical engineering, light sensor, open hardware\n| sdg = SDG03 Good health and well-being, SDG08 Decent work and economic growth\n| published = 2026\n| organizations = Free Appropriate Sustainable Technology, Western,\n| license = CC-BY-SA-4.0\n| language = en\n| authors = Joshua Givans, Augustine Waswa, June Madete, and User:J.M.Pearce\n}}\n\n[[Category:Research]]\n[[Category:Distributed manufacturing]]\n[[Category:3D printing]]\n[[Category:medical devices]]\n[[Category:Open hardware]]\n[[Category:frugal biomedical]]"}