Heart Smart

Inspiration

We originally wanted to create a pinball game in which pin balls would behave like blood and drop into appropriate buckets depending on how well the launcher (heart), works. This seemed to be a super fun idea, yet impractical given the size of a doctor's office and the 65-year-olds patients ability to see the resemblance to a human body. So we decided a human model was necessary. It was fun as we gained insight into how balloons behaved, what direction air moved due to pressure, and how one way valves seem to be everywhere from pool floaties to your blood vessels. We also did a complete 180 and turned from an air-based system to a liquid-based system. This change in implementation less than 24 hours from submission meant we had to change our modelling focuses to utilize and manage gravity. This allowed us to add extra features (like how to reset the model), but also meant we needed to modify a design that we spent hours working on. Pivots like this throughout the project, especially given this was all of our first project competitions in college, were great learning experiences in how to cooperate as a team. We brought a team of relatively inexperienced students together, and we believe we created a substantial product, but more importantly awesome new friends!!!

What it does

To explain the model a little bit we created a liquid loop in a human shaped enclosure that broadly depicts the differences in a normal heart and a heart with congestive heart failure for a patient to experience and interact with using a hang pump as a heart.

How we built it

We developed a FUSION CAD model for most of the pieces and assembled them into a singular file. Much learning with FUSION occured but we most definitely became better modellers because of it.

Challenges we ran into

We initially struggled to come up with a solid idea. The prompt was fairly broad and we realized that we could not have a model that had the dangers and methods for mitigation while being physiologically correct and easy to understand. We had to work to determine what we felt was most valuable to the patient, which was showcasing what CHF does to their body. We also struggled to design all the individual components so that they would function as intended and fit together in our model.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of coming up with a complex idea for the problem. We did not settle on an idea but tested and refined each one until we came up with what we felt was the best option. We are proud that we were able to use our skills in Fusion to model such a complex design and bring the individual components together into a single, coherent model. Lastly, we are proud that we persevered through every challenge we faced to deliver a model in such a short timeframe. We did not get discouraged but pushed through to the end!

What we learned

We learned what goes in to designing a solution to a problem from start to finish. We started with nothing but a problem to address. We learned that to start tackling a problem, it is necessary to fully understand its scope which required us to do a lot of research on CHF. After this, we learned how to think outside of the box and consider all possible solutions like marble tracks, balloon models, and liquid circuits to come up with the best solution possible. We learned how to evaluate our design criteria and ideas using an engineering design matrix. We discovered how to be most efficient in our work by dividing up tasks based on everyone’s skillset and maintaining constant communication and check ins. Ultimately, we learned how we can bring our individual skills and abilities together to create something greater than ourselves.

What's next for Heart Smart

We would change the leg and lung containers to be elastic material rather than being a stiff material. This will allow these features to swell/expand, making it better reflect the human vascular system and swelling. Ultimately, Heart Smart would be mass produced and purchased primarily by hospitals and doctor offices to assist in explaining the condition.

I added our official write up as a link. I did not know if this was proper. https://uflorida-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/askarshinskifred_ufl_edu/EUUZxjFwozVIhX0hlgU4aZ4BzRuGQCquVZ16ry-EDCLZtA?e=tFSRiG