Weekly Reports

• This week was characterized by a pivot for the team. Our original client, Dr. Chu planned to have ourselves and another team complete work on the same device. As this goes against the spirit of the class, and we were second to meet with her, we dissolved the partnership. We spent a large portion of this week reaching out to and coordinating with our new client, Dr. Wu.
• Dr. Linda Wu is a physician at WashU med, and is connecting us with a cardiac surgeon who is seeking innovation in the charging and better mechanisms of implantable cardiac devices. Communication is still in its early stages, and this is an ambitious project, but the team is excited for the challenge. We are slightly off the timeline of the class, but should be able to make up ground over the weekend.

• Continued dialogue with the client for specifications and definition of the problem space
• Division of tasks and creation of timeline for Preliminary report.
• Creation of Goals list and internal deadlines 

• This week, our team made significant progress on our senior design project, which focuses on cardiovascular diseases, specifically heart attacks.
• We met with our client, Linda Wu, on Monday to discuss the project scope and refine our design specifications. During the meeting, we scheduled biweekly check-ins, and Linda plans to connect us with a cardiologist for further guidance.
• We also divided roles for this semester and the next to ensure smooth collaboration, and we planned our preliminary report and presentation. In our research, we analyzed current treatments for heart attacks and identified inefficiencies and limitations.
• We found a research paper that detailed a wearable device for individuals at risk of heart attacks, but it is only for drivers and lacks continuous monitoring. The device alerts medical professionals, but this delay could impact treatment time.
• Additionally, we reviewed a patent for a wearable device that offers continuous heart rate monitoring but doesn’t include any treatment mechanism. We’ve identified these limitations as opportunities to address in our project.
• Although we initially experienced a delay due to a client change, we now feel confident in our progress and are ready to move forward.

This week, the team met several times to brainstorm ideas and begin the process of rating each solution according to the Pugh chart system. 

• In our first meeting, we came up with 10 rough ideas without striking any down for any reason
  • Each team member was assigned two or three of the ideas to flesh out more fully and report back
  • The assignments were made based on interest and need of the group
• In class on Wednesday, the group developed one of the most promising ideas using TRIZ as described in class
  • One contradiction used was that the device needed to be more accurate, while preserving its size and weight
• Then, we met again on Thursday to discuss the findings of our individual research
  • Using microphones/ultrasonic sensors in combination with an EKG
  • Pairing solution with a mobile app that acquires self reported data on patient symptoms
  • Daily use bathroom system including foot pad and hand support for EKG, force sensors, and more
  • Biomarker detection in other interstitial fluids via various methods
  • Handheld EKG device for chest application. 
• The biggest change this week is that our scope has been adjusted to reflect a more well defined market sector. This project will aim specifically to reduce erroneous trips to the ED for people who are concerned about their heart health and the potential of a heart attack rather than detecting heart attack earlier than current solutions. 

• This week, we practiced our 3-minute elevator pitch from the lecture. We have a rough draft of our pitch and will make necessary edits and changes as time goes on, especially for the second half of the course.
• We also practiced writing claims for our project as an activity from the IP lecture. We used claims from patents with similar invention ideas as examples when writing our claims.
• All of these details were recorded in our ELN.
• Lastly, we met towards the end of the week to finalize the Pugh chart details and narrow our solution idea list to a comprehensive solution based on the results from the Pugh chart.
• Next week, we plan to organize details for the progress report and start an outline.

This week the team revised and revamped specs to allow for more generalized and comparable solutions. Previous specs mainly applied to wearables, but we have since altered our scope from continual monitoring to an as needed system.

We worked together to find standards to make our specs more universal and give us a good idea of how to test our product. 

Using Pugh charts, we settled on two designs that we liked, with one as primary and a second that will be developed in parallel. We established time with an instructor to check our progress report and prototype plan, and booked time to develop a high sensitivity EKG that will be scaled down for the device.

This week, the project scope was revised to shift the focus from continuous monitoring for early heart attack detection to creating a preliminary diagnostic aid for individuals at risk. The target audience is health-conscious individuals who are uncertain about their health status. The proposed system integrates multiple devices within a bathroom setting to facilitate health monitoring. These include a scale for measuring weight and detecting water retention, a bathroom mat equipped with force sensors to assess unsteadiness or balance, and an adhesive wall patch that provides EKG measurements. The system connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone application, enabling personalized health data updates for users.

During a meeting with Dr. Klaesner, he provided feedback on the design, specifically highlighting connectivity challenges related to wiring between the scale and the wall-mounted EKG patch. While a handheld EKG device was suggested as an alternative, it was noted that such a device would lack the utility of a 6-lead or 12-lead EKG in clinical scenarios. Dr. Klaesner also emphasized the importance of including simple diagrams to clarify complex alternative designs in the report, if necessary.

Additionally, alternative concepts were discussed, including a handheld EKG device that combines off-the-shelf products but lacks novelty and diagnostic robustness. Moving forward, the team will focus on drafting and refining descriptions of the system and writing the progress report and presentation.

This week, the team worked on setting schedules and baselines for the prototyping phase of the project. In class, we completed the yellow stickies assignment which helped in organizing the timeline for the development and testing period. It was decided that software and hardware would be engineered in parallel starting immediately. At today’s meeting, the team will order all parts for prototype construction, revise CAD, and communicate with our client.

There are some minor tweaks to be made with the CAD, especially with the integration of the lateral force sensors in conjunction with the scale. We plan to work through a modified mechanical design for these two systems this afternoon and adjust the CAD accordingly. Furthermore, creating a malleable EKG lead for the hand component of the system will require some further thinking and more detailed drawings. We will address this in today’s meeting as well. The biggest challenge we anticipate with the software is in creating or finding reliable enough heart attack “dummy” data to create an effective machine learning model. We are not necesssarily aiming for a market ready level of accuracy, but consistency and sensitivity within the model itself.

We are also working through some budgeting limitations, with only 80% of our original budget being approved. Our current working plan is to have standing 2.5 hour in person meetings on Mondays/Wednesdays in order to work on our collective components and troubleshoot our individual contributions. Additional meetings will be added as needed with specified long days for device testing. Specific divisions of labor will be further cemented this afternoon. 

Overall, the team is feeling confident and excited to get cracking at assembly!

This week, the group met in Brauer 2011 to unpack force sensors previously ordered. The force sensors were ordered on January 17th, delivered on January 20th, and unpacked in the Whitaker 135 lab on January 22nd. The team started preliminary testing of the force sensors using the Raspberry Pi Unit, with a simple circuit to articulate breadboard response. The team was also troubleshooting between using load cells versus a scale for our prototype to ensure the device can withhold a specific weight limit. A load cell is best for >>300 lbs, while a scale is best for ≤ 300 lbs. Since the prototype is centered around a scale, the team decided to stick to the scale design. The team also began initial testing of the force plate to record weight and track unsteadiness for the scale design of the prototype. The team used their knowledge from previous courses, such as Bioelectic Phenomena, to understand action potential generation from the dual threshold method and to approximate the degree of steadiness from standard to severe that a person experiences, but on a numerical scale with subcategories in between. 

With Professor Widder’s permission, the team also rummaged through the closet in Whitaker 135 lab for supplies and materials such as foam and breadboards. The team plans to start building the prototype to troubleshoot by early next week. In addition, the team is also researching the software part of the prototype, which is building an algorithm with Bluetooth connectivity for the application that will accompany the device. 

Overall, the team is making great progress and plans to keep the energy going for prototyping! 

1/31/25

This week, our focus was on gathering data sets, acquiring essential components, and experimenting with prototyping tools. The following outlines the key activities and milestones achieved:

1. Data Set Identification:

   – We successfully compiled a list of relevant data sets that can be leveraged to develop the diagnostic algorithm. These datasets cover a variety of physiological measurements, which are essential for our project’s diagnostic purposes.

2. Parts Procurement:

   – We ordered key components, including load cells and force-sensitive resistors (FSRs), both of which are necessary for capturing the physical data required for our prototype. We ensured these components align with our project specifications and budget. We also consulted with Dr. Moran on a good material for our dry electrode setup and he recommended 316L Stainless Steel.

3. Component Testing:

   – Initial testing of the FSRs was conducted. The sensors performed as expected under basic tests, and we’ve verified that their output aligns with the required precision for our application.

4. Arduino Prototyping:

   – We set up a test environment using Arduino boards to familiarize ourselves with the prototyping process. This involved testing different sensor readings and ensuring the components function seamlessly with the Arduino platform.

Plans for Next Week:

– Prototype Development:

  – We aim to have a rudimentary prototype that integrates a basic app, a scale utilizing the load cells and FSRs, and an EKG module. This will allow us to validate the concept and start collecting initial data.

– App Interface:

  – We plan to start the initial development of a basic app that can communicate with the sensors and display algorithm results for the user. This will be a “barebones” version, with essential functionalities for debugging and testing purposes.

Challenges and Risks:

– No significant challenges have emerged so far, but we anticipate potential integration issues between the sensors and the app. Testing will help identify and address any connectivity or data transmission issues early.

Conclusion:

This week we made solid progress in terms of acquiring and testing key components, as well as familiarizing ourselves with the necessary prototyping tools. We are on track to have a basic functional prototype by the end of next week, as planned.

This week, the team continued ordering for and constructing an alpha prototype. Jordan has obtained load cells for the construction of a wheatstone bridge to create the weight measurement component of the device. Compatibility with the weighing scale plans, along with time constraints and occum’s razor, has guided the team to using an Arduino Uno, rather than a custom microprocessor, for data collection in the device.

Hayden began working with the Uno for force sensor calibration. He started this process by testing the viability of the force sensors on a raspberry pi, which he was sure was operational, to remove any doubts. The force sensors deliver “deformation” data in terms of seconds, which must be converted to known units through the computing unit. He then transitioned to the Arduino Uno, to test compatibility and is currently working on creating a calibration curve. 

The Uno presents one challenge in its organizational rigidity. With the contribution of four load cells, four force sensors, and the EKG signal, the team will require 9 inputs based on current plans; however, the Uno only has 8. Due to budget constraints, the team has determined that they will try to streamline input channels (specifically within the wheatstone bridge) rather than buy a new processor. Jordan will experiment with circuit configurations in the coming week.

On the software side of things, Kaylee has begun app development for iOS devices using BeeWare, and has reached the beginning of UI environment creation. She has also created a map of data flow for the coding of the device’s heart attack warning algorithm. The team will double down next week in anticipation of integrating all components by the end of February. 

This week, the team worked independently on their designated roles: Jordan focused on brainstorming the assembly of the prototype, Hayden researched Bluetooth connectivity between the prototype and a mobile device, and Kaylee worked on software development and building a basic application.

Hayden and Kaylee met to discuss the application Kaylee developed using Python as the main coding language and BeeWare, a framework that enables Python-built applications to run on multiple platforms. Since the initial development was done on a Windows computer, we plan to rebuild the app on a MacBook to facilitate its transfer to an iPhone (iOS) using online resources. 

Hayden has been researching methods for establishing Bluetooth connectivity between the prototype and a mobile device, exploring the use of Swift 5. He is also investigating various transmitters for the prototype, specifically the HM-10 Bluetooth module for Arduino.

Jordan has been brainstorming the prototype’s assembly and experimenting with circuit configurations. Now that the ordered parts have arrived, we plan to dedicate significant lab time early next week to assembling the prototype. 

Meanwhile, Kaylee is refining the data flow for coding the device’s heart attack warning algorithm. With the early stages of the app now developed, she is processing and analyzing raw EKG data to build an algorithm for categorizing and displaying the data within the mobile application. Our goal is to have a functional app on our iPhones that accurately receives and processes EKG signals from the prototype’s EKG pad.

Overall, the team is making great progress, and we are eager to start integrating all the individual components of our prototype!

This week, Kaylee and Hayden worked together to deploy a basic version of the app onto Hayden’s mobile phone. They also continued researching the best methods for updating the app and integrating a BLE connection with the HM-10 module.

The primary focus of the week was preparing for a large physical prototyping session on Sunday in the Makerspace. To support this, we ordered key components, including the HM-10 module, 316L stainless steel for the electrodes, and a prototype box from Amazon. Jordan will pick up wood and other bulk materials on Saturday. Additionally, we 3D-printed brackets for the load cells and organized all our materials into a dedicated locker in the Makerspace.

We also met to discuss the V&V report and broke up primary responsibilities for the content. We aim to have drafts done early next week and a completed final draft done by Thursday night.