This device came about from the number of friends that have been affected by choking while sleeping after drinking alcohol. This is an ever growing issue with societies and sports clubs emphasis of 'binge drinking'. Drinking culture and the associated peer pressure is an issue which is difficult to stop at the source so we have devised a device to relieve worry for the "mum friend" left to deal with their friend who has drank to excess.
The 'Drinking Buddy' is a wearable device which is used to make sure the user remains in the recovery position. If the inebriated friend rolls onto their back they are more likely to choke due to inhalation of vomit, due to the sedation of the gag reflex from alcohol of drugs.
Drinking Buddy first operates by ringing the user's phone, where they respond by keying in a number. If they do not respond this will loop twice before a friend is called. If the friend responds, they will also be asked to key in a number and the system will end. The friend/ flatmate will then turn over the user back into the recovery position and reactivate the device if needed.
We ran a file on GitHub which ran a javascript file that showed the readings for the z-axis for the accelerometer, we then used a .org which linked it to the page used for the accelerometer javascript.
We used node red to make the phone calls and send texts as an alert to the person wearing the device and then the designated flatmate.
Throughout our process we had many decisions to make including building an accelerometer with Arduino or using the built in one on an android phone. We made the decision to use the smart phone as this is more accessible to average student. We had many issues with getting the data from the phone to trigger the web URL using code from droid script and IBM.
We are very proud of attending our first ever hackathon with very limited coding experience. We now have exposure to Node-red and online directories which is a new concept to many of us. Problem solving and commitment to continue coding, with limited sleep is another achievement from our team.
Our demonstration of Drinking Buddy only includes the very basics. Under future development we hope that If the user does not respond to the phone call alone, without keying in the given number, the system checks in the 30 second delay to see if they have rolled back due to the noise. We also hope that our idea can be incorporated into an app where a student house/ group of friends can opt in to be available to receive a call for a night out; if one of the group drinks to excess or is spiked. This creates a larger support system, as the one selected friend may sleep through call, or have an issue with their phone such as a drained battery or broken screen.
Overall our team have enjoyed making the Drinking Buddy and hope we can continue to develop this project into the future.
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