Inspiration
One of the most universal things we all need is shelter, and underpriviledged people are much more likely to have to live in unsafe conditions. This can cause long term negative health impacts, even deaths in some cases. I wanted to make a simple device to help inform people about the safety of their environment, so that they might be able to mitigate some of the harm. In addition, this device could also be used in work environments, to ensure these are safe.
What it does
It's very much a work in progress. It detects levels of ambient volatile organic compounds, temperature, light levels (for sleep hygiene) and sound levels, both for sleep, and for impacts on hearing such as presbycusis or tinnitus,
How I built it
Using the Arudino IDE, and components I happened to have with me. I've designed it with accessibility in mind, both audio and visual indicators are given, and smiley faces are used to indicate a result to those who don't have a high level of English literacy.
Challenges I ran into
I didn't have enough wires to get the I2C bus working, I would prefer a sound pressure sensor as opposed to a microphone, and I would like to add things like CO detection to make this more useful. I would like to add in a LiPo rechargeable battery, at the moment I just have it plugged into PC. Working alone, I've run into time constraints, I didn't have time to design and print a case.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
I'm proud I even submitted anything, it's my first attempt at anything like this.
What I learned
I learned how to use a microphone with a microcontroller.
What's next for Safer Homes Project
Will try and get hold of the sensors I want, and design and print the case.
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