Inspiration
In many underserved communities, maternal health remains a critical issue due to lack of access to proper prenatal care, illiteracy, and healthcare accessibility challenges. Every year, thousands of preventable maternal deaths occur because pregnant women miss important medications, checkups, and health routines. MamaNest was designed to address this life-threatening gap by providing accessible, voice-based medication reminders that ensure prenatal care adherence.
What it does
MamaNest is an Arduino-powered smart prenatal care reminder system that helps expecting mothers track medications, hydration, and medical appointments.
🔹 Key Features: ✅ Audio-Based Alerts – Voice reminders ensure accessibility for illiterate users ✅ LCD Display – Displays medication reminders visually ✅ Bluetooth-Connected Mobile App – Healthcare professionals can manage patient medication schedules ✅ Wireless Speaker Alerts – Medication reminders play through a Bluetooth speaker ✅ Patient Confirmation Button – Logs medication adherence ✅ Expandable Health Monitoring – Future integration for heart rate, temperature, and hydration tracking
How we built it
💻 Hardware:
Arduino– Microcontroller handling reminders and Bluetooth communication I2C 16x2 LCD – Displays scheduled medication alerts Piezoelectric Speaker & External Bluetooth Speaker – Plays voice reminders HC-08 Bluetooth Module – Sends commands to the mobile app Button Input – User confirms medication intake 📱 Software:
Arduino C++ – Arduino firmware for managing reminders Node.js Backend (Future Expansion) – Cloud-based health tracking
Challenges we ran into
Audio Quality for Speech Output: We initially used a piezoelectric speaker for medication reminders, but the clarity was too low. We pivoted to using a Bluetooth speaker via the phone, improving accessibility for users.
🔹 Bluetooth Communication Issues: Connecting the Arduino to an iPhone required BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) instead of classic Bluetooth, so we reworked the mobile app using react-native-ble-plx.
🔹 LCD Display Visibility & Contrast: The LCD appeared too dark, so we had to adjust the potentiometer and ensure a stable 5V power supply.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
✅ Successfully implemented Bluetooth-based voice reminders, making medication adherence accessible for illiterate users. ✅ Designed a modular, scalable system that integrates Arduino, an I2C LCD, and a mobile app for seamless prenatal care tracking. ✅ Overcame hardware and software challenges, including low speaker volume, LCD contrast issues, and BLE communication with iPhones. ✅ Built a React Native app that listens for Bluetooth commands and plays the correct audio reminder through a paired speaker.
What we learned
The importance of user accessibility, including audio-based alerts for users who cannot read. 🔹 How to optimize power and visibility for an I2C LCD using contrast adjustments and 5V power stabilization. 🔹 How to modularize embedded system code for better scalability and future health monitoring integrations. 🔹 The significance of hardware-software synchronization, ensuring timely medication alerts without lag or data loss.
What's next for MamaNest
🔹 Integrate Health Sensors – Add heart rate, temperature, and hydration sensors 🔹 Expand Multi-Language Support – Pre-record messages in different languages 🔹 Cloud-Based Patient Tracking – Healthcare professionals can monitor adherence remotely
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