In STEM 2, we try to address a community need and develop an assistive technology device. For our STEM 2 project, we decided to focus on individuals with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Individuals diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) often struggle with memory, judgment, and spatial awareness. These cognitive challenges increase their risk of injury or wandering into unsafe areas. Existing solutions for ensuring their safety often rely on internet connectivity or caregiver monitoring, limiting autonomy and real-time responsiveness.
The three proposed initial designs included an assistive pen, a tablet, and a small button based device. We initially tried to address communication, but realized after talking to clients that a home security system would be much more effective to the problem we were trying to address. We had an additional three iterations of home security systems. These included a vibration based geo-fencing device, however we deemed the vibrational haptic feedback and the requirement of close proximity for RFID activation would be major drawbacks. The second design was an LED and app feedback system, which offered visual alerts and app-based notifications to caregivers. We decided not to move forward with this design because visual cues can be missed or cause confusion, and the aspect of smartphone dependence limited the accessibility of the product. The third and final proposed design was the design we moved forward with. The device utilizes geofencing with an ESP32 module to play pre-recorded caregiver messages when clients approach unsafe areas.
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The images below show our prototype, which uses a Raspberry Pi 5 board and ESP32 module to implement geofencing.
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