The United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) are ‘a call to action to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy health, justice and prosperity’ (World Health Organisation 2021). These goals provide a framework for governments, firms, and individuals to work towards achieving a more sustainable and equitable future. The below points show how our project aligns with the SDGs to promote a better and more sustainable future.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

Target 3.2: End preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age.

As discussed in the project overview page, pneumonia is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths of children under the age of 5 every year. By helping in the early stage design of an effective oxygen concentrator monitoring system it is hoped that this project can directly contribute to tackling this issue by improving the quality of healthcare provided to children suffering from pneumonia.

Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.

The monitoring device supports the aim of universal health coverage by ensuring that oxygen concentrators (a crucial medical resource in the treatment of pneumonia) are well maintained and consistently operational, thus enhancing the quality of healthcare services in low-resource settings.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.

By designing a reliable monitoring device for oxygen concentrators, the project contributes to building resilient healthcare infrastructure in developing regions, in order to ensure that essential medical equipment remains functional and effective. It should help to reduce the downtime of oxygen concentrators that occurs during repairs, as well as extending the useful lifetime the concentrators.

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Target 12.5: Substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.

This project begun the initial design and development of a monitoring device which ultimately looks to incorporate degradation monitoring functionality into the system. This means that as the concentrators condition begins to worsen, the monitoring device can recognise this through the signals it is receiving and therefore help to schedule maintenance before the concentrator breaks down. This focus on preventive maintenance and early fault detection for oxygen concentrators helps extend their lifespan, reducing medical equipment waste and promoting sustainable use of resources.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Target 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South, and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology, and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms.

The project encourages collaboration between various stakeholders, including Ministries of Health, biomedical engineers, and international organizations. This project had a strong focus on knowledge sharing and implementing inclusive innovation in the development of new healthcare technologies.