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Circuitry with sensor module in hand
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Photo near cafe in event location
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Quick poster
Inspiration
The inspiration comes from automating the wound monitoring process so that healing is not disrupted by harsh inspection. As some individuals and most animals do not have the ability to take care of their own wounds - this applies to complex care and even people who do not have access to proper wound care in harsher environments.
We are a nerdy group of bioengineers that are passionate about wound repair!
What it does
It measures specifically temperature and humidity and displays a message whenever a threshold of each respective variable is exceeded. If both are exceeded, then a buzzer will emit an irritating sound to notify the user of the need to perform treatment(s) or wound intervention(s).
How we built it
Used an Arduino Uno Rev3 microcontroller, a passive buzzer, a resistor, and a DHT11 temperature and humidity module.
Challenges we ran into
Most bandages need to breathe and the reading coming from the module is easily influenced by ambient temperature, environmental humidity, direct sunlight, wind speed, etc. Now, there are proposed components to resolve this and other issues. These include a detachable enclosure with set airflow, a drug release or wound closure system, colorimetric material or sensor array, and stronger adhesives for long-term use. Our group is comprised of all new hackers so we did not know each other well or what to expect at the event. Our individual coding skills were limited. We learned to overcome these obstacles through collaboration, mutual interest, and fun!
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We got the working code quickly and made it displayable on the serial monitor. Although an LCD screen would've worked better, the buzzer can signal that much easier. We also considered a decent number of components in future iterations of the device. We were able to form an alliance of strangers turned friends within a 24-hour time quest to rid the world of abrasion heat index fluctuations.
We were able to form an alliance of strangers turned friends within a 24-hour time quest to rid the world of abrasion heat index fluctuations.
What we learned
We learned that there are many types of noises and disruptions that can lead to misreads like sweat, ambient moisture, weather, etc. Lots can be planned in the timeframe of 24 hours by not limiting the feasibility of our proposals but simply expanding based on the benefits and refining the pros and cons in the future.
What's next for Wound Health
The goal is to make this accessible to people around the world so we will focus on something portable, accurate, and durable. We will be focusing on filtering out make sources of noise and miniaturization initially. Subsequently, the compact final design should at least have these features: a sterilizer/antibiotic release mechanism, a wound closure mechanism, an enclosure for wound types of all sizes, and a consistent airflow system.
Sustainability: Simplifying functions and slowing processes. Always refer back to the main goal of creating the “10-day bandage” or “one-time apply band-aid” so that it can ensure proper healing in one go. Although this conflicts with some sanitary issues, our goal is to reduce the waste of bandage material and control the use of medication to prevent excess drug use or overdose from stronger substances. Another version of the device could use biodegradable material so that waste in countries, both developed and underdeveloped, does not need to pour any more resources into controlling litter of the disposable material from our consumers.
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