Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
42 Pill Pal: A Medication Tracker and Dispenser
 Deonna Flanagan
Jerry Chang
Pallavi Narayanan
 William Zhang design_document1.pdf
design_document2.pdf
design_document3.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
presentation1.pdf
proposal1.pdf
#Teammates: Jerry Chang, Pallavi Narayanan, Deonna Flanagan#

#Problem Statement:#

Many people today have many medications to periodically take. Older generations can have an especially difficult experience keeping track of pills taken and they may have many different pills to take at different times of the day. Additionally, people can be forgetful and miss important medication with differing frequencies of intake. Thus, it may be seen that overall control of specific medication taken at a time and the remembrance of taking such batches of medication proves to be a challenge for the elderly.

#Solution Overview:#

We propose an automated pill dispensing system that would inform users when to take their pills and would indicate whether the pill(s) were taken or not. Additionally, to prevent overdose, the dispensing system would be able to lock and only dispense medication at the right time of day and when the single user has not already taken the pill(s). There would be an interface for caregivers to configure and show the frequency of intake for specific pills. This will be configured on the interface such that pills with specific frequencies will only dispense should the time to take them be ready. Alerts and notifications should also be supplemented with the device to remind users to take the batch of medicine. For those that are not in frequent control of a technological interface, the device will notify users to take medication by use of lights.

#Solution Components:#

Dispensing Subsystem: Chambers that hold the pills and keeps each type of medication separate Locking mechanism that only allows a certain number of pills when the user has not already taken the pill(s) Weight sensor used in the top chamber to check whether there are pills or if user needs to refill IR sensor in a lower chamber that dispenses the pill Contraption itself will have mechanical design to only allow specified number of pills

Indication Subsystem: Indicates when pills are ready to be taken Notification to application, light on device Uses Wi-fi module to connect to application Application tracks medication taken, alerts user for when to take the pills, or lets user know to refill device

Power Subsystem: System to power the device, plug into wall outlet

#Criterion for Success:#

Success for this project will consist of a working pill dispensing machine that dispenses at least two different types of pills. The machine will be able to dispense at different times of the day and there will be a sensor to detect if the medication was taken. Additionally, the goal will be to have an easy user interface for older people.

Cloud-controlled quadcopter

Anuraag Vankayala, Amrutha Vasili

Cloud-controlled quadcopter

Featured Project

Idea:

To build a GPS-assisted, cloud-controlled quadcopter, for consumer-friendly aerial photography.

Design/Build:

We will be building a quad from the frame up. The four motors will each have electronic speed controllers,to balance and handle control inputs received from an 8-bit microcontroller(AP),required for its flight. The firmware will be tweaked slightly to allow flight modes that our project specifically requires. A companion computer such as the Erle Brain will be connected to the AP and to the cloud(EC2). We will build a codebase for the flight controller to navigate the quad. This would involve sending messages as per the MAVLink spec for sUAS between the companion computer and the AP to poll sensor data , voltage information , etc. The companion computer will also talk to the cloud via a UDP port to receive requests and process them via our code. Users make requests for media capture via a phone app that talks to the cloud via an internet connection.

Why is it worth doing:

There is currently no consumer-friendly solution that provides or lets anyone capture aerial photographs of them/their family/a nearby event via a simple tap on a phone. In fact, present day off-the-shelf alternatives offer relatively expensive solutions that require owning and carrying bulky equipment such as the quads/remotes. Our idea allows for safe and responsible use of drones as our proposed solution is autonomous, has several safety features, is context aware(terrain information , no fly zones , NOTAMs , etc.) and integrates with the federal airspace seamlessly.

End Product:

Quads that are ready for the connected world and are capable to fly autonomously, from the user standpoint, and can perform maneuvers safely with a very simplistic UI for the common user. Specifically, quads which are deployed on user's demand, without the hassle of ownership.

Similar products and comparison:

Current solutions include RTF (ready to fly) quads such as the DJI Phantom and the Kickstarter project, Lily,that are heavily user-dependent or user-centric.The Phantom requires you to carry a bulky remote with multiple antennas. Moreover,the flight radius could be reduced by interference from nearby conditions.Lily requires the user to carry a tracking device on them. You can not have Lily shoot a subject that is not you. Lily can have a maximum altitude of 15 m above you and that is below the tree line,prone to crashes.

Our solution differs in several ways.Our solution intends to be location and/or event-centric. We propose that the users need not own quads and user can capture a moment with a phone.As long as any of the users are in the service area and the weather conditions are permissible, safety and knowledge of controlling the quad are all abstracted. The only question left to the user is what should be in the picture at a given time.

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