PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Medmo is a medicine reminder tray that utilises triboelectric sensors to track the time between each dose of medicine.
Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENG) is a feasible, self-powered solution for collecting low-frequency electricity (such as static electricity) from the environment. Its technology is promising in the increasing demand for the Internet of Things (IoT).
With its versatility and low fabrication cost, Medmo demonstrates the advantages of TENG technology to mitigate the problem of medicine nonadherence due to forgetfulness.
Process
Exploring TENG
During the first few weeks of the project, I explored how triboelectric sensors work and the possible interactions that can be achieved using these sensors. I came to understand that a TENG sensor is super sensitive, with many factors affecting its signal. Things like the surface area of contact, the type of conductor and polymer used, and even the humidity in the environment. With the signal being so unstable, I found it tough to create working prototypes in our explorations.
However, I realised that anything that would affect the electrical conductivity read by the arduino would cause the signal to have a lot of noise. Thus, the solution was to make sure that the computer the arduino was connected to, and the arduino itself was connected to ground. I did this by making an aluminum base for the laptop and the arduino, and connecting them to the base using copper tape.
Concept Ideation and Development
After the initial familiarisation and exploration on how triboelectric sensors function, I started to develop ideas for how I want this technology to be applied. My two main directions were a medicine reminder and a home appliance aid for the hearing impaired. However, taking into account how sensitive the TENG is around electrical appliances, I decided to choose the medicine reminder as it was more feasible in terms of form and mechanism to develop and prototype.
This was my concept video I presented during the project interim presentation!
I started refining the concept by exploring different iterations of how this reminder try would work, and the different interactions that would be the most seamless for the process of medicine taking. It was also important for me to understand the user demographic for this product, and how to cater to their needs.
Making things work and A LOT of debugging
The prototyping process was difficult for me because of how sensitive the triboelectric sensor was. There was a lot of iterations in the method of contact points, the components of the tray, and especially the code. I had to be very meticulous with fixing and debugging the code to ensure that the sensor runs smoothly without any errors. This process took the longest throughout the project, but it was definitely rewarding to make it work at the end of it!
