Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
41 Smart Analytics Insole
 Alyssa Huang
Ramsey Van Der Meer
Tony Leapo
 Selva Subramaniam design_document1.pdf
final_paper2.docx
other1.pdf
photo1.HEIC
photo2.HEIC
presentation1.pptx
proposal1.pdf
proposal2.pdf
Team Members:

- Ramsey van der Meer (ramseyv2)
- Alyssa Huang (azh4)
- Tony Leapo (aleapo2)

# PROBLEM
Many people enjoy hiking since it allows for people of all fitness levels to experience the outdoors. However, oftentimes the constant repetitive pounding on hikers feet can lead to soreness or even injury. Many factors contribute to the injury risk factor including a hiker's gait, fitness level, the amount of weight carried, terrain, and much more. Currently, there are no products on the market which can deliver personalized feedback on foot stresses experienced over the duration of a hike. This information can be crucial in selecting appropriate footwear or even improving walking techniques to prevent injuries. Additionally, this information could be repurposed to provide a metric to measure the difficulties of hikes, as trails that place a lot of pressure on your feet can be shared amongst avid hikers.
# SOLUTION
Our solution is to develop an insertable insole equipped with many integrated pressure sensors and external accelerometers, and gyroscopes. These sensors will help monitor the dynamics of the foot during a hike by capturing data on the distribution of pressure across the foot, as well as the intensity of impacts, and the foot's orientation and movements.
The insole will be constructed with durable but comfortable materials to ensure it does not alter the hiking experience negatively. It will be able to connect wirelessly through BlueTooth to a smartphone interface, enabling hikers to receive real-time feedback of the sensor data during their hike. After the hike, the interface will provide a comprehensive summary of the collected data, presenting insights into areas of the foot that experienced the most stress and impact, as well as other data collected about the user’s walking habits. This summary will include visual representations such as heat maps and graphs, illustrating the pressure points and movement patterns.
Additionally, the interface will offer personalized recommendations based on the collected data. These could include suggestions for foot exercises, guidance on improving hiking techniques, and advice on selecting the right type of hiking footwear for individual needs.
By providing hikers with this detailed and personalized information, our solution aims to enhance the hiking experience, reduce the risk of foot injuries, and contribute to the overall well-being of hiking enthusiasts. The insole will be designed to ensure compatibility with a range of different types of shoes, and the type of data we will be collecting can be generalized to solve other orthotic issues.


# SOLUTION COMPONENTS
## SENSORS
For the insole, we will integrate a combination of sensors to accurately track and analyze foot movements and pressures during hikes. These sensors will include an accelerometer, gyroscope, and pressure sensors.
Accelerometer: This sensor we will use to measure movements that users will make as well as sudden changes to motion to better get a sense of where and when impacts happen.
Gyroscope: The gyroscope sensor will measure the rotational movements and orientation of the foot. This would provide insight into how the foot moves during a hike.
[Gyroscope and Accelerometer combined](https://www.amazon.com/HiLetgo-MPU-6050-Accelerometer-Gyroscope-Converter/dp/B078SS8NQV)


Pressure Sensors: These sensors will be distributed across different areas on the insole to map the pressure exerted on different parts of the foot. This data is crucial for identifying high-stress areas and potential points of discomfort or injury. We could use thin and flexible pressure sensors like a Velostat conductive sheet.. This sensor works by increasing resistance as the sheet bends are applied to it, which we can measure with a voltage divider and see a change in voltage..
[Pressure Sensor - Velostat Conductive Sheet](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00SK8LYK4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=cabuu-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00SK8LYK4&linkId=a47b7f29f93a16fe2c6ea313720ea129)


The data from these sensors will be collected and processed by a microcontroller unit external from the insole. This microcontroller would have to be capable of handling multiple inputs simultaneously from different sensors. We think the ESP32 fits the bill for a low-power, efficient microcontroller. This also includes Bluetooth for wireless data transmission to a smartphone interface. Additionally the data collected by the microcontroller would be saved to a micro SD card.

[potential SD card interface](https://www.amazon.com/Storage-Memory-Shield-Module-Arduino/dp/B01IPCAP72)

The insole will also be made to ensure comfort and durability, with sensors embedded in such a way that the insole seems just like any other. While the pressure sensor will be integrated into the material of the insole, the external sensors and electronics could be wrapped around the interior of the tongue or collar of the shoe, so as to not impede the gait of the hiker nor be at risk of getting damaged from impactful steps. The overall design will focus on creating an insole embedded with comfortable sensors, providing hikers with valuable insights into their foot mechanics.
[Possible Microcontroller](https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/STMicroelectronics/STM32F303K8T6TR?qs=sPbYRqrBIVk%252Bs3Q4t9a02w%3D%3D)

## STATUS LEDS
We plan to add status LEDs to provide clear, visual indications of various statuses. We would include a power status LED indicating when the device is running. This LED could be repurposed for power status, and change to a green color when the insole is charging. It might flash red when the power is low. We could also incorporate LEDs for other statuses, such as Bluetooth connectivity (whether or not bluetooth is activity paired or if it is in pairing mode), or a warning LED for sensor malfunction or disconnection. These LEDs will not only provide an additional interface for users to look at and easily understand the status of their device. This would also have the benefit of having much less power draw than a screen interface.
## USER INTERFACE
The hiking boot insole monitoring system can be controlled through a combination of a user-friendly smartphone interface and integrated buttons or switches on the insole for versatility and convenience. The smartphone interface would be the primary interface including a full breakdown and analysis of sensor data. Through the interface, users can activate or deactivate data recording, view real-time data, adjust settings like data sync frequency, and access the history of their hikes. The interface could also provide notifications and reminders, such as when to charge the insole or if an irregular pattern is detected in foot pressure or motion. For times when using a smartphone is impractical, such as during intense hiking, simple physical controls on the insole can be a reliable alternative. A small, waterproof, and durable button or switch, ideally located on the side of the shoe, could be used for basic operations like turning the device on or off, and starting or stopping data recording. This dual-mode control system ensures that the device remains highly functional and accessible in various hiking conditions and user preferences. Additionally we could make it so that users would only have to connect their device to their phone/laptop after the hike is complete allowing them to save on battery life. This would require us to implement on device storeage.
## POWER
We were thinking of using a lithium-ion battery to power the device, due to its compact size, rechargeability, and widespread availability. We would mount this battery externally from the insole to power the device. Considering the power requirements of the sensors (accelerometers, pressure sensors, and gyroscopes), the microcontroller, LEDs, and the Bluetooth module for data transmission, a battery capacity in the range of 200-300mAh would likely be sufficient. For reference, a FitBit sense worn on the wrist has a battery of about 266 mAh at 3.85 V. This capacity should provide enough power for a hike (approximately 4-6 hours) on a single charge, assuming moderate data recording and transmission frequency. The battery would be placed away from the insole.

[Possible battery](https://www.amazon.com/battery-Rechargeable-Lithium-Polymer-Connector/dp/B07C9R84QS/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=200%2Bmah%2Bbattery&qid=1706654478&sr=8-5&th=1)

# CRITERION FOR SUCCESS
We would measure the success of our device on its ability to accurately measure, provide useful feedback and maintain user comfort. Key criteria include:
- Accuracy and Reliability of Sensors: The insole should accurately capture data on foot pressure distribution, impact intensity, and foot motion using its accelerometer, pressure, and gyroscope. This data should be able to accurately reflect what the user is experiencing and filter out unwanted noise. This noise could happen due to weird impacts or rocks coming into shoes.
- Comfort and Durability: The insole should have a high level of comfort for the user and seem like any other insole. It should also be able to stand up to use and not break easily.
- Effective Data Communication: The data transmission should be robust enough to handle packet drops and still send all data from the sensors to an external device. These visualizations would include heat maps and graphs that would effectively communicate data.
- On device storage: Ability to store data on device so that users will not have to remain connected to the device though out a hike. After which users can then connect to the device to offload data.
- Battery Life and Power Management: Battery life on the insole is needed to be enough to power our device for longer hikes which may last up to 8 hours.
- User Interface and Usability: The user interface of the smartphone should be intuitive and provide convenient access to the data and its insights. Our physical controls on the device itself should also be intuitive.

to address data analytics we could include basic information shown in this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z0Trr4gTw4I. Or we could allow users to bring this to a licensed podiatrist as none of us really could speak in a professional sense on this topic.

Healthy Chair

Ryan Chen, Alan Tokarsky, Tod Wang

Healthy Chair

Featured Project

Team Members:

- Wang Qiuyu (qiuyuw2)

- Ryan Chen (ryanc6)

- Alan Torkarsky(alanmt2)

## Problem

The majority of the population sits for most of the day, whether it’s students doing homework or

employees working at a desk. In particular, during the Covid era where many people are either

working at home or quarantining for long periods of time, they tend to work out less and sit

longer, making it more likely for people to result in obesity, hemorrhoids, and even heart

diseases. In addition, sitting too long is detrimental to one’s bottom and urinary tract, and can

result in urinary urgency, and poor sitting posture can lead to reduced blood circulation, joint

and muscle pain, and other health-related issues.

## Solution

Our team is proposing a project to develop a healthy chair that aims at addressing the problems

mentioned above by reminding people if they have been sitting for too long, using a fan to cool

off the chair, and making people aware of their unhealthy leaning posture.

1. It uses thin film pressure sensors under the chair’s seat to detect the presence of a user,

and pressure sensors on the chair’s back to detect the leaning posture of the user.

2. It uses a temperature sensor under the chair’s seat, and if the seat’s temperature goes

beyond a set temperature threshold, a fan below will be turned on by the microcontroller.

3. It utilizes an LCD display with programmable user interface. The user is able to input the

duration of time the chair will alert the user.

4. It uses a voice module to remind the user if he or she has been sitting for too long. The

sitting time is inputted by the user and tracked by the microcontroller.

5. Utilize only a voice chip instead of the existing speech module to construct our own

voice module.

6. The "smart" chair is able to analyze the situation that the chair surface temperature

exceeds a certain temperature within 24 hours and warns the user about it.

## Solution Components

## Signal Acquisition Subsystem

The signal acquisition subsystem is composed of multiple pressure sensors and a temperature

sensor. This subsystem provides all the input signals (pressure exerted on the bottom and the

back of the chair, as well as the chair’s temperature) that go into the microcontroller. We will be

using RP-C18.3-ST thin film pressure sensors and MLX90614-DCC non-contact IR temperature

sensor.

## Microcontroller Subsystem

In order to achieve seamless data transfer and have enough IO for all the sensors we will use

two ATMEGA88A-PU microcontrollers. One microcontroller is used to take the inputs and

serves as the master, and the second one controls the outputs and acts as the slave. We will

use I2C communication to let the two microcontrollers talk to each other. The microcontrollers

will also be programmed with the ch340g usb to ttl converter. They will be programmed outside

the board and placed into it to avoid over cluttering the PCB with extra circuits.

The microcontroller will be in charge of processing the data that it receives from all input

sensors: pressure and temperature. Once it determines that there is a person sitting on it we

can use the internal clock to begin tracking how long they have been sitting. The clock will also

be used to determine if the person has stood up for a break. The microcontroller will also use

the readings from the temperature sensor to determine if the chair has been overheating to turn

on the fans if necessary. A speaker will tell the user to get up and stretch for a while when they

have been sitting for too long. We will use the speech module to create speech through the

speaker to inform the user of their lengthy sitting duration.

The microcontroller will also be able to relay data about the posture to the led screen for the

user. When it’s detected that the user is leaning against the chair improperly for too long from

the thin film pressure sensors on the chair back, we will flash the corresponding LEDs to notify

the user of their unhealthy sitting posture.

## Implementation Subsystem

The implementation subsystem can be further broken down into three modules: the fan module,

the speech module, and the LCD module. This subsystem includes all the outputs controlled by

the microcontroller. We will be using a MF40100V2-1000U-A99 fan for the fan module,

ISD4002-240PY voice record chip for the speech module, and Adafruit 1.54" 240x240 Wide

Angle TFT LCD Display with MicroSD - ST7789 LCD display for the OLED.

## Power Subsystem

The power subsystem converts 120V AC voltage to a lower DC voltage. Since most of the input

and output sensors, as well as the ATMEGA88A-PU microcontroller operate under a DC voltage

of around or less than 5V, we will be implementing the power subsystem that can switch

between a battery and normal power from the wall.

## Criteria for Success

-The thin film pressure sensors on the bottom of the chair are able to detect the pressure of a

human sitting on the chair

-The temperature sensor is able to detect an increase in temperature and turns the fan as

temperature goes beyond our set threshold temperature. After the temperature decreases

below the threshold, the fan is able to be turned off by the microcontroller

-The thin film pressure sensors on the back of the chair are able to detect unhealthy sitting

posture

-The outputs of the implementation subsystem including the speech, fan, and LCD modules are

able to function as described above and inform the user correctly

## Envision of Final Demo

Our final demo of the healthy chair project is an office chair with grids. The office chair’s back

holds several other pressure sensors to detect the person’s leaning posture. The pressure and

temperature sensors are located under the office chair. After receiving input time from the user,

the healthy chair is able to warn the user if he has been sitting for too long by alerting him from

the speech module. The fan below the chair’s seat is able to turn on after the chair seat’s

temperature goes beyond a set threshold temperature. The LCD displays which sensors are

activated and it also receives the user’s time input.

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