Inspiration
Our team was inspired to build PulseBridge after hearing about a personal experience one of our teammates had with emergency medical care.
Last fall, while he was on campus, he experienced severe chest pain and had to call 911. An ambulance arrived and took him to the emergency room. Thankfully, the doctors treated him quickly, and he recovered within about an hour.
However, two weeks later, he received a $2,500 bill for the ambulance ride. His insurance refused to cover the cost because the condition was considered pre-existing and recurring.
This experience made our team realize how stressful and expensive emergency care can be, especially in situations that may not require a full ambulance response. It pushed us to think about how technology could help people reach emergency care faster while avoiding unnecessary ambulance costs.
That moment became the inspiration for building PulseBridge, a system designed to connect patients with nearby emergency rooms more efficiently and help reduce unnecessary emergency transport costs.
What it does
PulseBridge is an emergency navigation app designed to help patients quickly find available emergency care.
The app allows users to create a personal medical profile, including medications, conditions, and emergency information. When the app opens, users see a large emergency button.
When the button is pressed:
The app automatically identifies the nearest emergency room.
An AI agent calls the ER directly and shares the patient’s medical information.
The system checks whether a bed is available.
If the ER is full, the system automatically contacts the next closest hospital until availability is found.
This ensures that when the patient arrives at the hospital, a bed is already prepared and medical staff are informed.
How we built it
PulseBridge was built using:
Swift for the iOS mobile application
JavaScript for backend services
Gemini AI API to process patient information and automate communication
Twilio AI Voice Agents to call emergency rooms and share patient data
An A* (A-Star) search algorithm to find the most optimal hospital based on distance and availability
The AI agent communicates directly with hospitals so the user only needs to press one button during a stressful situation.
Challenges we ran into
One of the biggest challenges was reliably connecting with hospitals and retrieving real-time availability information.
We also had to carefully design the system so that the AI voice agent could clearly communicate medical information to hospital staff while maintaining accuracy and speed.
Another challenge was balancing speed and reliability when selecting the best hospital using the A* algorithm.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We’re proud that PulseBridge can:
Reduce ER waiting times by reserving a bed before the patient arrives
Reduce unnecessary ambulance calls, which are extremely expensive
Automatically share patient medical information with hospitals
Provide a simple one-button emergency interface during stressful situations
With PulseBridge, patients who are not in life-threatening danger can drive themselves or have someone drive them, avoiding costly ambulance bills while still receiving fast care.
What we learned
Through this project we learned:
How health insurance coverage and emergency billing works
How to implement efficient search algorithms like A*
How to integrate AI voice agents to automate real-world phone calls
How to design technology that works in high-stress emergency situations
What's next for PulseBridge
Our next step is to partner with hospitals and emergency services to integrate PulseBridge directly into their systems.
Studies show that nearly 50% of 911 calls do not require an ambulance. PulseBridge could help reduce the burden on emergency services while still ensuring patients receive timely care.
Our vision is to create a smarter bridge between patients and emergency care.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.