Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
4 Bluetooth Enabled eWalker
Darren Domingo
Gregory Tow
Lukas Adomaviciute
Akshatkumar Sanatbhai Sanghvi design_document1.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
other1.pdf
other2.pdf
photo1.png
presentation1.pdf
proposal1.pdf
video2.mp4
# Bluetooth Enabled e-Walker

Team Members:
- Lukas Adomaviciute (lukasa3)
- Darren Domingo (ddd3)
- Gregory Tow (gtow2)

# Problem

Walkers are primarily used by people over 65 years old with musculoskeletal or neurological problems. Some conditions that require a person to use a walker include arthritis and Parkinson's disease. When a person uses a walker, one or both hands are occupied supporting themselves with the walker which makes it more difficult for the user to access their smartphone's features. In recent years more devices have become smart devices paired with our smartphones for additional features, but walkers and walking canes have been left behind. When looking for existing solutions, we have found some canes that support lighting and charging, but none with IoT. We believe this would be the next logical step in innovation to support people with conditions that struggle to interface with touch screen displays.

# Solution

We would like to bridge the gap between features that would be used on a smartphone to the walker itself. It would be particularly useful to implement an easily accessible contact system on the walker that could be used in an emergency situation where time is of the essence and the user might struggle to use their smartphone.

# Solution Components
## Walker Construction
- Walker itself
- 3D-printed electronic component housing
- Phone mount

Our solution will be constructed onto a standard folding walker with two forward facing wheels. We plan on constructing a 3D printed housing that will contain the required electronic components. The electronic component housing will attach to the walker below the hand rests and should be positioned in a manner that does not put restraints on the folding machinism or interfere with walking. We also would like to add a physical phone mount to the walker so the smartphone microphone and display can optionally be utilized when the walker’s systems are triggered.

## Communication and Interfacing (IoT)
- 3 contacts - 911, Main (call, text), Backup (call,text)
- Arduino Reader to read in the phone numbers and map those to specific buttons on the walker
- Pressing a button will trigger an automated text or a call through the connected phone through bluetooth
- NFC Readers to store information such as phone numbers or automated texts

Our primary goal for communication and interfacing is to configure a five button system that will allow the user to quickly send text message notifications or preconfigured phone calls through BlueTooth once the device has been paired with their smartphone. One button will be preconfigured for an emergency 911 call. Two buttons can be configured for emergency contact phone calls with phone numbers that can be written by the user. Two buttons can be configured for emergency contact text messages with the contact and message content written by the user. Our group discussed utilizing an NFC reader to store the configured phone contact numbers, text contact numbers, and text message content. The user should be able to utilize an NFC writing app on their smartphone to write the required data to the walker controller. We plan on implementing this system by utilizing an Arduino for BlueTooth communication. We currently plan on utilizing the Arduino RFID module to communicate with the smartphone and read the data written from the user’s smartphone. After the implementation of the button configuration, our group will continue to implement more IoT functionality.

## Sensors

Our Arduino control system will utilize information from our gyroscope sensor to identify when the walker is in a horizontal position or when the walker is on a downwards incline. When the gyroscope indicates the walker in a horizontal position it will utilize the communication and interfacing subsystem to send a text notification that a fall has occurred to the preconfigured button contacts. The control system will also use information from the GPS to text the user’s location to preconfigured contacts in emergency situations.

## Power Management
- Power to Arduino System,
- Integrated USB port for charging internal battery
- Battery Life Indicator

The power management subsystem handles how power is distributed throughout the entire system. We will use an internal rechargeable battery as the main source of power. In order to charge other devices while providing power to the Arduino system, we will make use of a step up DC-DC converter. To turn on the entire system, a power switch will be used in line with the connection to the DC-DC converter, with an appropriate fuse in the positive terminal to prevent damage to the rest of the circuit in the case of a battery issue. To charge the battery, we will use an integrated USB Type C port which connects to the battery. To charge devices, we will use two integrated USB Type A ports connected to the battery which will support quick charging. Lastly, to monitor the charge of the battery, we will make use of LEDs and a LM3914 chip or similar to display the charge status in a color bar approach.

# Criterion For Success
We plan to test if our walker charges properly and if it can be turned on and off. The two charging ports will be tested as well. We will also be ensuring that the walker will be able to make calls and send texts through the push buttons we will have. The text messaging test will also confirm that the GPS is working. Lastly for the gyroscope, we will confirm that it knows the exact orientation our walker is in, and that the text messaging system sends out the proper severity of text.


Source: https://www.diamondgeriatrics.com/newsletters/2008-newsletters/walkers-basics-you-need-to-know/#:~:text=OT%2C%20Reg.,recovering%20from%20a%20debilitating%20illness.

Habit-Forming Toothbrush Stand

John Kim, Quinn Palanca, Rahul Vasanth

Habit-Forming Toothbrush Stand

Featured Project

I spoke with a TA that approved this idea during office hours today, and they said I should submit it as a project proposal.

# Habit-Forming Toothbrush Stand

Team Members:

- Rahul Vasanth (rvasant2)

- Quinn Andrew Palanca (qpalanc2)

- John Jung-Yoon Kim (johnjk5)

# Problem

There are few habits as impactful as good dental hygiene. Brushing teeth in the morning and night can significantly improve health outcomes. Many struggle with forming and maintaining this habit. Parents might have a difficult time getting children to brush in the morning and before sleep while homeless shelter staff, rehab facility staff, and really, anyone looking to develop and track this habit may want a non-intrusive, privacy-preserving method to develop and maintain the practice of brushing their teeth in the morning. Keeping track of this information and but not storing it permanently through a mobile application is something that does not exist on the market. A small nudge is needed to keep kids, teenagers, and adults of all ages aware and mindful about their brushing habits. Additionally, many tend to zone out while brushing their teeth because they are half asleep and have no idea how long they are brushing.

# Solution

Our solution is catered toward electric toothbrushes. Unlike specific toothbrush brands that come with mobile applications, our solution applies to all electric toothbrushes, preserves privacy, and reduces screen time. We will implement a habit-forming toothbrush stand with a microcontroller, sensors, and a simple LED display that houses the electric toothbrush. A band of sensors will be wrapped around the base of the toothbrush. Lifting the toothbrush from the stand, turning it on, and starting to brush displays a timer that counts seconds up to ten minutes. This solves the problem of brushing too quickly or losing track of time and brushing for too long. Additionally, the display will provide a scorecard for brushing, with 14 values coming from (morning, night) x (6daysago, 5daysago, . . . , today) for a "record" of one week and 14 possible instances of brushing. This will augment the user's awareness of any new trends, and potentially help parents, their children, and other use cases outlined above. We specifically store just one week of data as the goal is habit formation and not permanent storage of potentially sensitive health information in the cloud.

# Solution Components

## Subsystem 1 - Sensor Band

The sensor band will contain a Bluetooth/Wireless Accelerometer and Gyroscope, or Accelerometer, IR sensor (to determine height lifted above sink), Bluetooth/Wireless connection to the microcontroller. This will allow us to determine if the electric toothbrush has been turned on. We will experiment with the overall angle, but knowing whether the toothbrush is parallel to the ground, or is lifted at a certain height above the sink will provide additional validation. These outputs need to be communicated wirelessly to the habit-forming toothbrush stand.

Possibilities: https://www.amazon.com/Accelerometer-Acceleration-Gyroscope-Electronic-Magnetometer/dp/B07GBRTB5K/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=wireless+accelerometer&qid=1643675559&sr=8-12 and individual sensors which we are exploring on Digikey and PCB Piezotronics as well.

## Subsystem 2 - Toothbrush Base/Stand and Display

The toothbrush stand will have a pressure sensor to determine when the toothbrush is lifted from the stand (alternatively, we may also add on an IR sensor), a microcontroller with Bluetooth capability, and a control unit to process sensor outputs as well as an LED display which will be set based on the current state. Additionally, the stand will need an internal clock to distinguish between morning and evening and mark states accordingly. The majority of sensors are powered by 3.3V - 5V. If we use a battery, we may include an additional button to power on the display (or just have it turn on when the pressure sensor / IR sensor output confirms the toothbrush has been lifted, or have the device plug into an outlet.

# Criterion For Success

1. When the user lifts the toothbrush from the stan and it begins to vibrate (signaling the toothbrush is on), the brushing timer begins and is displayed.

2. After at least two minutes have passed and the toothbrush is set back on the stand, the display correctly marks the current day and period (morning or evening).

3. Track record over current and previous days and the overall weekly record is accurately maintained. At the start of a new day, the record is shifted appropriately.

Project Videos