Biomedical Instrumentation

Project Title

Biomedical Instrumentation

Project Area of Specialization Wearables and ImplantableProject Summary

One of the problem that elderly people face is the adverse effects of falling after if they are unattended or living alone. According to statistics, falls are a major factor in serious injury and even death in the elderly people. This problem is particularly important given the state of prostration and oblivion founded on the older person in our hectic society. A solution is proposed to reduce the negative impact of falls in the elderly in a portable electronic system, noninvasive and low cost using commercially available devices on the market. This system, connected to the patient, have the capacity to detect the fall of the elderly person, and generate an alert in order to provide prompt attention.

Project Objectives

The situation of forgetfulness, marginalization, and even mistreatment, is known. The elderly are exposed in our midst. This situation shows the existence of serious
problems in many aspects of human society. Lack of values, hectic lifestyle, unrestrained consumerism, economic and family problems, among many other factors, add up to the detriment of the adequate physical, psychological and social conditions in which seniors should meet. 
 

Although the proposed system does not solve these problems, it contributes to alleviating one of the most feared events in the elderly, such as falls and, specifically, its effects. A falls can have serious consequences at all levels if they are not addressed promptly. The physical damage is of such magnitude that the old person is bedridden indefinitely or acquires fear to perform daily activities plunging it into states of growing impotence and isolation that further worsen their situation.

The proposed system consists of a portable electronic device with the ability to analyze the movements of the elderly and detect fall events. The detection is made by sensing the accelerations in the three axes, using devices of microelectromechanical type, and the execution of algorithms contained in a processor for industrial use. The system has the ability to generate alerts, in order to communicate the events produced and achieve the ultimate goal of serving the elderly as soon as possible.

Project Implementation Method

The project is implemented using the methods employed for embedded systems. Most of the work is carried out by using microcontrollers and sensors. The sensors capture the real world physical phenomenon, in our case, the motion of an adult person is monitored. The core of the project deals with understanding the signals from various sensors and making intelligent decision in response to a critical event. The following is a summary of the technology employed to execute the project. 

Arduino IDE is an open-source Arduino environment that enables us to type and upload code to the board via serial connection.

Processing is an open-source programming language and IDE that is aimed towards computer programming in a visual context. A major advantage processing possesses is the wide-array of 3rd party libraries available for use. Similar to Arduino, it too is built upon the Java model.

Temboo is a virtual library that is our key to the Internet of Things. With streamlined access to over 100+ APIs across various programming languages, this intuitive web-based coding framework helps us perform machine-to machine communication.

Twilio is a cloud-based communication portal that allows developers to make calls and send SMS programmatically. The web service API can be accessed used the choreos of Temboo and billing is based on usage. For this, we can use a trial 13 account on Twilio that gives us limited access to generating text messages to a pre-determined number.

Benefits of the Project

As people get older, they want to maintain their dignity through independence. A device that detects falls can provide them a hope to rely on an instrument that can help in assisting in emergency situations.  They can live in their own homes with reduced dependency on other people, who have to check and are involved in real time monitoring.

An automatic detection device gives a peace-of-mind knowing that they are safe and secure, even when they are alone. This means that you don't have to worry about checking in on them constantly, and your parents or grandparents know they have help around whenever they need it.

Fall detection devices are also lightweight and easy to carry around, even if you go out. As they have a GPS tracking system built within them, they can be used literally anywhere.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

We plan to use a cost effective Uno that is a microcontroller board that is based on the ATmega328. It is widely preferred for its ease-of-use, programming capabilities and large pool of online documentation. It operates on very low current of 40-50 mA and has a logic level of 0 to 5V. It possesses 14 digital I/O pins (6 with PWM functionality). 6 analog inputs, onboard LEDs, a reset switch and ceramic resonator. It can be supplied power through USB connection or external power jack. It has a memory size of 32 KB, programmable via Arduino IDE.

One could otherwise employ IoT ready boards such as the Texas Instruments cc3200 or Arduino Yun or IoT implementable boards such as the Intel Galileo.

ADXL 335 (Accelerometer)

 In order to sense angular position and acceleration we use the ADXL 335 MEMS based accelerometer. It is a 3 axis system which gives analog output corresponding to the X, Y and Z axes of the orthogonal coordinate system. The advantage of this sensor are twofold

Extremely low noise
ow power consumption of approximately just 320 micro Amperes. The module has an entire sensing range of +/-3g.

III. HC-05 Bluetooth Module: For reasons of prototyping, we shall use this Bluetooth module to interface our device with the computer.

The HC-05 is a class 2 Bluetooth module, capable of easy connectivity with android platforms or serial port communication with the computer. It serves as an efficient replacement for wired solutions, offering mobility. It operates on 3.3V DC logic with a current drawing capacity of 50mA.

 IV. Piezo buzzer

V. Push Button Switch

VI. RGB 3 color LED

Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemType of Industry IT , Medical , Health , Security Technologies Artificial Intelligence(AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Wearables and ImplantablesSustainable Development Goals Good Health and Well-Being for PeopleRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	80000
Sensors	Equipment	1	27000	27000
IoT components	Equipment	1	7000	7000
Micro-controller and support hardware	Equipment	5	3000	15000
Electronics Components	Equipment	1	13000	13000
Printing supplies	Miscellaneous	1	5000	5000
Stationary	Miscellaneous	1	5000	5000
Wearable devices hardware	Equipment	1	8000	8000