STEADI

Inspiration

My grandfather’s hand tremor made me think about the small, everyday activities that can become difficult when fine motor control is unpredictable. I wanted to explore whether a wearable could respond to tremor patterns without requiring the user to change their movement.

What it does

STEADI is a wearable sleeve that combines motion sensing with controlled vibrations. The prototype reads arm and hand motion through an inertial sensor and modulates vibration motors in response. It is an engineering exploration of responsive haptics, not a clinically validated tremor treatment.

How I built it

The design combines an Arduino Nano, MPU6050 accelerometer/gyroscope, PWM-controlled vibration motors, embedded C++, and a wearable sleeve. The implementation described in my project materials samples motion data, focuses on tremor-range frequencies, and uses that signal to adjust motor output. I worked through wearable packaging, circuit integration, and prototype iteration.

Challenges I ran into

A wearable has to work as an integrated system: the sensor must read motion reliably, the motors have to feel appropriate, and the hardware must fit comfortably. Sharing the prototype with older adults and accessibility-focused audiences sharpened my understanding of how to design for real users. STEADI received the Highest Impact Award at our pre-engineering showcase.

What's next for STEADI

I would improve sensor calibration, fit, controlled testing, and quantitative evaluation of the vibration response before making any claims about tremor reduction.

Built With

• 3d-printing
• accelerometer
• arduino-nano
• c++
• embedded-systems
• gyroscope
• imu
• mpu6050
• pwm
• vibration-motors
• wearable-technology