Abstract: Most of neonates develop neo-natal jaundice which is a physiological condition characterized by yellowish discoloration of the skin and conjunctiva as a consequence of increased levels of serum bilirubin in the blood of the baby during the first week after birth. When a newborn baby has jaundice, various clinical assessments need to be executed including evaluation of the history, physical examination, and severity of disease. If the severity is not detected early and if jaundice is left untreated then bilirubin level will increase gradually. Once it exceeds a certain level there is a possibility of deafness or certain forms of brain damage may occur. Generally, blood samples are taken and various laboratory experiments are performed to determine the exact bilirubin level. As the process is repetitive, it causes trauma to infants and it also requires experts to perform this test. So, it is necessary to have a non-invasive device which can regularly monitor the bilirubin levels. This paper aims to build a portable device which is meant for the quantification of jaundice level using colour detection based on Phototherapy method. A colour sensor has been used to measure the RGB component of neonatal skin shades printed on paper. A relationship between the blue component in the skin shades and bilirubin level has been observed. The percentage of blue among RGB components has been calculated. Based on this, the bilirubin level is computed and the state of jaundice is displayed.
Keywords: Neo-natal Jaundice, Bilirubin, Colour Sensor, Arduino Uno, Phototherapy.