Project
# | Title | Team Members | TA | Documents | Sponsor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
13 | Improving Prototype for Robotic Animal-Assisted Therapy for Alzheimer’s Patients |
Brian Wilens Divij Nagpaul James Brown |
Zhen Qin | design_document0.pdf final_paper0.pdf final_paper0.pdf other0.pdf other0.pdf |
|
James Brown jmbrow11 Brian Wilens wilens2 Divij Nagpaul nagpaul2 Therapalz is in the process of creating a robotic stuffed animal that will serve as a pet companion for Alzheimer’s patients. The current prototype has shown promise but is lacking realism: opening a stuffed animal to regularly replace batteries may be stressful to patients. Furthermore, the sensors currently used to detect user interactions are ineffective. Additionally, being able to monitor patient’s distress and adjust the robot’s response could aid in providing a more effective treatment. We aim to implement a prototype that has wireless charging capabilities through a pet bed that the robot can lay in for about 10 hours each night. We would need to design a charging circuit as well as power distribution circuit to both charge the battery and ensure that the other aspects of the robot maintain appropriate power levels. Implementing a method to control several sensors (including a microphone, accelerometer, gyroscope, and a capacitive touch fur sensor) by using a microcontroller and designing an input/output controls system, we will be able to transmit this data to a server, process the data to look for trends in signs of distress (i.e. the patient move more on average at three o’clock in the afternoon), and provide the user means to adjust the robot’s responsiveness through an iOS app. The largest competitor is PARO, a robotic therapeutic seal with similar functionality. The major advantage Therapalz has over PARO is that its prototype can be constructed and sold significantly cheaper than that of PARO’s (which costs $6,000). The data we’ll be using doesn’t need to be the most accurate, by reducing the need for very accurate sensors the cost of the Therapalz robot can be reduced. Additionally, PARO is meant to be shared amongst users, whereas Therapalz is meant to be used by individual users. https://courses.engr.illinois.edu/ece445/pace/view-topic.asp?id=27146 |