Traffic Light Tracking
March '18
Traffic Light Tracking
March '18
Computer Vision
March 2018
Background
LiDAR- what it is, why it is relevant
Reference Velodyne LiDAR page
Remote Sensing- class at UMD, build our own LiDAR systems to map something on campus --> note less design, more build
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Pill box
November 2017
[Is that an Amazon Box? Yep.]
Inspiration
My Grandfather played a really important role in my childhood. He sparked my innate curiosity to understand how things worked.
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At the age of 88, however, his memory isn't as sharp as it used to be.
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With recent health concerns, it become imperative that my Grandfather take his medication at the correct times and in the correct doses.
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After taking a Mechatronics course, I brainstormed and prototyped a pillbox with him in mind to ensure that he took his medication consistently.
Concepts + Prototypes
Design Considerations
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Recording Process
My Grandfather is very old school. As in he is one of the few people I know without a computer of some sort.
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As a result, he was recording his medication with just pen and paper. This process left the medication history nearly impossible to follow. To make this easier, I envisioned recording this information automatically.
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Dispensing Process
The dispensing process had to be easy and work consistently.
I looked to a seven pill box as a basis for how to organize the medication to ensure it was taken on the proper day.
It would also be ideal if there was a feedback mechanism on the outside of the pill box to remind my grandfather that he took his medication for that day.
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Aesthetics
The pill box had to look presentable to sit on a kitchen counter and be used everyday.
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I envisioned a laser engraved top with an LED display and clock.
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After proving functionality, I was going to ask my Grandfather for his opinion.
Preliminary Prototype
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As a first prototype I used a cardboard box, push pins, hot glue, and some tape to hold the pieces in place.
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In terms of hardware I used:
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2 Arduino boards
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A photoplethysmorgram (ppg) heartbeat sensor
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180-degree servo motor (for dispensing)
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A neo-pixel LED ring (on front)
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1 push button (on front)
Heartbeat Sensor
Arduino
Arduino
Pill dispensing unit
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In the effort to make a quick, functional prototype, I modeled a seven day pill box using a mini cardboard box and cardboard tabs.
Then, I made a cylinder out of a post-it and cut a small slit in the tabs of cardboard so they could slide on the edge of the paper.
Finally, I spread out the seven tabs at roughly even compartments to hold pills [happened to be skittles in this case].
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Underneath the dispenser is a servo motor attached to a half-moon piece of cardboard with a slot big enough for each day compartment.
This was wired to a button on the front side of the box that would move the servo a set number of degrees for each day. To prevent over dispensing, a time delay was integrated into the Arduino code.
Check out the videos below.
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The front-facing Neo-Pixel LED ring was integrated into the design to give the patient visual feedback that his or her pulse was being taken. The ring was connected to the heartbeat sensor and strobes the users' pulse.
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For added visual aid during testing, the pulse was displayed on a Processing window. This will later be displayed on a LCD screen.
Check out the video!
[Early] Lessons Learned
I used two Arduinos to eliminate the "twitching" from the servo. When the sensor, ring, and servo were all connected to the same Arduino, the servo stopped receiving a full 5V from the Arduino digital pin [according to a Voltmeter]. As it turns out, this is a common problem.
For the sake of prototyping, cardboard worked well for the first 10 or so tests. Then, it started to warp and bend more easily. This impacted the accuracy of each subsequent test.
This prototype reinforced the importance of resourcefulness. The cardboard to construct the box and pill dispenser was readily available-- all I needed was scissors.
Final Prototype
Coming Soon!