Author: mdemango

The most significant risk that could jeopardize the project is the SDcard becoming corrupted right before the final demo. We think that we should boot up a spare, just in case it does become corrupted. No further changes were made to our design that we haven’t already mentioned. Everything is working now, except for the load cell amplifier, which we are continuing to work on.

We performed the following unit tests:

• Bluetooth messaging between client and server script
• Web socket messaging between client and server script
• Dispense button decreasing the quantity left and tracking when taken
• Servo motor moving 180 degrees, and moving it 180 degrees multiple times
• Reading “snack” weight off of load cell
• Playing speaker audio
• OAuth navigation
• Google Cal API adding correctly to your account’s google calendar
• Sending an email at specific time
• Each web app page rendered correctly on each screen size
• Accessing the web app across multiple browsers
• Dispensing pills consecutively (3+ times) on each dispensing compartment 
• Email notifications are sent based on the user’s inputted timezone (not our timezone)

We performed the overall systems test:

• Clicking the dispense button dispensed a pill, moves servo, and play speaker audio
• 3 unique users, each with their own medications, cannot see or access any medication besides their own
• Adding/modifying/deleting pills and users are accurately updated in mySQL (and email notification as appropriate)
• Flowing through the web app progression with all screen sizes

Findings and design changes from tests:

• Adjusting the size of widgets on the web app, to make sure they are accessibility friendly
• Switching from Bluetooth to web sockets as bluetooth is not supported on safari
• SSL and certificate, as you could not access the web app on Chrome without this
• Installing a pipe in the dispensing compartment to avoid pills getting stuck
• Adding padding into the rotating discs to decrease their volume, as smaller pills tended to “collect” in the big disc slots
• Recording the servo motor’s position (adjusting the pill model in the web app) so it can rotate 180 clockwise, 180 counter clockwise, etc.
• Potentially removing the load cell amp and load cell if it continues to be noisy

This week our team worked on the physical housing. MM bought supplies, Taylor installed pipes, and Aneesha tested the new design. Aneesha did testing on the dispensing and MM did testing on the software application. Taylor did testing on both the hardware and software systems and spent time designing the new dispense system. Aneesha and MM worked together on testing the load cell on an arduino. The whole team worked on the presentation. The biggest challenge we faced was the load cell amplifier still not working. MM ordered another load cell amplifier, and is still waiting for it to arrive. However, at this point, it may need to be removed from the design entirely. Additionally, pills kept getting stuck in our original funnel design, so we decided to switch to a pipe-shape instead. This fixed our issue, and we have adapted our structure accordingly.

The most significant risk that could jeopardize the project is the load cell amplifier. Since there is so much noise, we are currently unable to get any good reading (as shown in the picture below). From the research we’ve done, its likely due to the fact that HX711 load cell amplifiers work best for load cells that measure higher weights and that soldering can add to noise since we need a specific type of wire. However, we had to solder the wires because the load cells wires were so fragile, they kept on breaking. Aneesha and MM are looking into other solutions to explore such as force sensors. We decided to replace the battery pack with another buck booster converter to achieve better accuracy on the voltage that we need for a good reading. Additionally, we ordered another pack of SD cards, since we do not have any spares left. Both of these cost less than $40, keeping us under budget. The team will work on testing (accuracy of pills being dispensed, website re-sizing to devices, mobility needed to operate device, etc) as listed in the design report section 7. More specifically, we will pull up the website on a variety of screen sizes and go through the motions of the website to make sure everything is rendering appropriately. We will conduct about 60 dispense trials across a variety of pill sizes and record the accuracy of the dispensing. 

The most significant risks that could jeopardize the project are the performance of the servo motors turning with the pill dispensing disks on it. Given the torque the motors operate at and the weight of the pill dispensing disks, we believe that it should work. However, in case this doesn’t work, we have been adjusting our pill dispensing disks to be a lighter weight.

A change we had made to our design was choosing a different load cell. This had cost us an additional $10 and fits into our budget. We had ordered a new cell because we had mistakenly purchased a 780g cell, thinking it was a 780mg cell. After completing the design tradeoff section of the design report, we realized this design mistake, and we bought a 100g load cell instead. This did not impact our schedule as the delivery was through Amazon. 

For the week 4 specific status report, part A was written by Aneesha, part B was written by MM, and part C was written by Taylor.

Part A: Our product seeks to improve the problems associated with the medication taking process globally. The device provides automated medication management, which is crucial for people with limited hand mobility, elderly individuals, and people with cognitive impairments who may forget to take their medications in a timely manner. By ensuring accurate dosing and reducing the risk of medication errors that can impact anyone across the world. Additionally, by integrating an app with our machine, our product aligns with global trends in digital health and telemedicine, where digital services are increasingly being used for medication management in both developed and developing countries.

Part B: Our product addresses several cultural aspects. For example, family members who have taken on a caregiver role to care for a loved one can find this product beneficial to either: (1) give the loved one more independence by receiving reminders via the app not via the caregiver (2) take some weight off of the caregivers shoulders of remembering which pills their loved ones need to take at a specific time. By giving loved ones some more independence, it can allow them to stay in their homes longer before moving into assisted living or prevent them from hiring in-home care. This is great for individuals who might have financial concerns. 

Part C: While this project does not focus on environmental impact it was designed with environmental factors. The project was designed so in the long run consumers could potentially reduce the waste of pill bottles used. Additionally the project this week was designed this week to be smaller then the original design so it would take less energy to power. Additionally the project is designed to be safe for organisms to consume medication out of being non toxic. Additionally the product is designed using sustainable 3D printing materials.