This is a continuation of our STEM course that extended over the first hald of the year. Over the course of a few months, we work in groups of 4 to create and test our own assistive technology project idea, designed for a specific client to adress their major need. My group tackled disease diagnosis in rural areas and how to make this process portable, easily accessible, and cost-friendly for patients so they don't have the mental and physical strain of getting a diagnosis.
Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by certain mosquitoes, and when left untreated, it can become fatal. Some severe symptoms include kidney failure, mental confusion and seizures. In 2021 alone, there were approximately 241 million cases of Malaria, mostly coming from sub-Saharan Africa. Of these, 627,000 people died due to a lack of detection and treatment. Over time, Malaria has become a pressing issue as death rates have been increasing. Mid-infrared spectroscopy provides a solution for rapid at-home detection, relieving people of the mental and physical strain of leaving the house and going on long commutes out of rural areas to their nearest healthcare provider. Mid-infrared spectroscopy will allow the user to notify if they have malaria by sampling blood or dry blood spots using the small and portable device. Malaria is prevalent and on the rise, particularly in more rural areas, where access to early detection and treatment may not be available. Particularly, from 2019 to 2020, malaria deaths increased by 10%. Evidently, Malaria has become a pressing issue for global health. Effective and prompt diagnosis is crucial to controlling malaria in rural and urban areas. As stated by the National Institute of Health, late diagnosis is the primary cause of death due to malaria (Tangpukdee et al., 2009).
Real-time malaria detection is not easily accessible to those in rural areas efficiently and cost-effectively. This results in physical and mental strain on those needing access to diagnosis. Therefore, our engineering goal is to design a portable near-infrared spectroscopy device to accurately detect malaria infection through the skin in a non-invase and cost-friendly approach.
The malaria detection device is intended for those in more rural areas where malaria is prevalent. As per the CDC, malaria is most commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa. Particularly, it can be useful for people who may not have the ability to commute long distances in order to receive proper diagnosis and care in hospitals. The goal of this project is to reduce the mental strain of travel, as it is difficult to leave rural areas. Moreover, it can reduce the physical exhaustion for people who may be disabled, old, or facing other significant health issues. Additionally, the user will likely be exhibiting symptoms, therefore, they will already be in a strained state, and the device will provide ease of usage, and eliminate circumstances which may add to it.
A portable spectrometer basis was 3D printed to be used to set up our DIY Near IR Spectrometer. IR LEDs at different wavelengths were connected to power and attached to the spectrometer, along with a NIR Longpass Filter that could go over phone cameras to detect the IR light. This device was then tested with common substances to compare the results of the spectra, validating it was a working portable spectrometer. From there, a machine learning model was implemented to create a final application that could make malaria diagnosis simple and convenient for people who don’t typically have access to this technology. The machine learning model would compare the results of on the finger skin samples to previously recorded data points of patients with and without malaria, to give a final value that could interpret whether or not that person had contracted malaria. One thing our group noticed was that competitors were lacking in two major areas. The portability of the device, along with the connected application that allows for easy access to malaria diagnosis. By targeting these two areas of improvement, this is a new and improved method for many. For more information on our brainstroming process and market research that led us to this final idea, please refer to the document on the left.
These images showcase the different elements of our final prototype. At the fair, we were able to show how all these pieces came together in a final desgin that will a few tweak, could be an innovative and usable technology.