Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
8 Budget Odor Detector
David Lacayo
Jeffrey Wong
John Yan
Chentai (Seven) Yuan design_document2.pdf
proposal4.pdf
# Odor Detector

Team Members:
- Jeffrey Wong (jwong19)
- David Lacayo (dlacayo2)
- John Yan (johnyan2)

# Problem

Roughly 20% of the general population has a bad sense of smell ([Link](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK567741/)). This makes it hard to pick up odors, which may indicate a larger issue like a leak that would cause damage to the house, or potentially put the owner of the home in danger.

An odor detector will compensate for this issue, but they are expensive on the market, going upwards of $200. Additionally it is common to have to buy more than 1 device to sense more than 1 gas at a time as well, increasing the cost even more. ([Link](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=a2b652855d7b65ae&sca_upv=1&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS1085US1085&q=bathroom+odor+detector&tbm=shop&source=lnms&fbs=AEQNm0Dwc9VijzN-JW-4YRo_w_BUQbKUrL1mkR3HAGvFJsTEU2yTeL61j6uh8rPucZu_asD8QQkcJ2ZCfmQyRJdbMVxfwLj5E_IXO-CVkXuakqtw-13zeocNWRU3YlReVPUwaBFs7zE1oDuVzgTEJzPqBr0ACU6aqrZtnZnlm3-LAMzrU0cFrQcLXC9jCL5Okk4OO1PSKoZMcVW2fOwruwAjjqCVDGXpSQ&ved=1t:200715&ictx=111&biw=958&bih=944&dpr=1)).

# Solution

Our solution is an innovation– we will make a budget odor detector with sensors that detect methane, H2S, NH3, and CO. We will have an LCD screen to show each gas’s ppm level.

Also, if the readings cross a dangerous threshold, the screen will display a warning notification as well as output a warning alarm to alert the user.


# Solution Components

## Microcontroller

We will use the STM32xx as our main microcontroller to process data sent from the sensors, and to interface that data with the LCD screen to display that information.

## Sensors

NH3: ([Link](https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/sparkfun-electronics/SEN-17053/13252162))

H2S: ([Link](https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/sparkfun-electronics/SEN-17052/13252248))

Methane: ([Link](https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/sparkfun-electronics/SEN-09404/6161754))

CO: ([Link](https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/sparkfun-electronics/SEN-09403/6163653))

## LCD Screen, LEDs

We will have an LED that illuminates when the device has low battery, and an LED that illuminates when the alarm is going off.

We will have an LCD screen that displays the ppm levels of NH3, H2S, Methane, and CO in the room that the device is in. If the sensors detect a dangerous level of gas in the room, the LCD will automatically turn on and display a warning message to indicate this crossed threshold.
([Link](https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/newhaven-display-intl/NHD-0420CW-AB3/5022951?utm_adgroup=&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMax%20Shopping_Product_Medium%20ROAS%20Categories&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_id=go_cmp-20223376311_adg-_ad-__dev-c_ext-_prd-5022951_sig-CjwKCAjwreW2BhBhEiwAavLwfG0TbDch5eYRKwQTaY1O_lBKy-WOhhoPX9u6xC7CX5-OeFdmQ0rW8RoCHpcQAvD_BwE&gad_source=4&gclid=CjwKCAjwreW2BhBhEiwAavLwfG0TbDch5eYRKwQTaY1O_lBKy-WOhhoPX9u6xC7CX5-OeFdmQ0rW8RoCHpcQAvD_BwE))

## Alarm

The device will have an alarm that goes off if the gas sensors’ ppm levels exceed their thresholds. This is to alert the owner of the device of potential danger stemming from these gasses. ([Link](https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/pui-audio-inc/AI-1223-TWT-3V-2-R/5011391))

## Power supply

The device will be powered by a 9V battery. This will ensure that enough power is delivered to each of our sensors, our STM chip, & our LCD screen.
([Link](https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/duracell-industrial-operations-inc/9V/21259959))

## Power Switch / Monitor Power Switch

There will be a switch to turn the whole device on/off, as well as one for turning the LCD monitor on/off to save power consumption.

## Device Enclosure

All of the previous components will be contained inside of an enclosure (likely 3D printed) to protect hardware components.

# Criterion For Success

## The detector will need to do the following actions:
* Detect exceeding thresholds of the following gasses in compliance to OSHA or default alarm settings ([Link](https://www.indsci.com/en/blog/understanding-gas-detector-default-alarm-settings) for all):
* NH3 (Ammonia) when it exceeds 25 ppm ([Link](https://ctigas.com/ammonia-gas-detection/#:~:text=Ammonia%20detectors%20located%20in%20refrigerated,levels%20is%200%2D100%20ppm.) [Link2](https://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/0084.pdf)). Tested by opening a container of household ammonia.
* H2S (Hydrogen Sulfide) when it exceeds 20 ppm ([Link](https://www.osha.gov/hydrogen-sulfide/hazards)). Tested by opening a container of a rotten egg/food.
* CH4 (Methane) when it exceeds 1000 ppm ([Link](https://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex9038/$file/729-2.pdf?OpenElement=#:~:text=The%20Occupational%20Safety%20and%20Health,1%2C000%20ppm%20(0.1%20percent).)). Tested by opening a container of natural gas.
* CO (Carbon Monoxide) when it exceeds 50 ppm ([Link](https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/carbonmonoxide-factsheet.pdf)). Tested by opening a container of gas from burnt substances/exhaust pipes.
* Display the ppm of the gasses on the LCD display.
* Upon exceeding the sensor thresholds, display a warning message on the LCD display.
* Upon exceeding the sensor thresholds, it sounds a warning alarm.
* Display LEDs showing low battery and when the warning alarm triggers.

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.

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