Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
19 Suction Sense - Pitch Project
 Hugh Palin
Jeremy Lee
Suleymaan Ahmad
Team Members:

Hugh Palin (hpalin2) Jeremy Lee (jeremy10) Suleymaan Ahmad (sahma20)

**Problem**

Currently, suction is unnecessarily left on for approximately 35% of the runtime in operating rooms. This results in wasted energy, increased maintenance costs, reduced equipment lifespan, and unnecessary electricity consumption. At present, there is no mechanism to detect or alert staff when suction is left running unnecessarily (such as overnight when no surgeries are in progress).

**Solution**

We propose a system composed of two hardware components and one software component. The first hardware module will attach to the medical gas shut-off valves, where it will monitor suction pressure and wirelessly transmit the data. A second hardware component will receive and store this data. On the software side, we will develop an application that takes in suction usage data and cross-references it with the hospital’s operating room schedule (retrieved from the Epic system). The application will display a UI showing which operating rooms are currently in use and whether suction is active. Color coding will clearly indicate if suction has been left on unnecessarily.

**Solution Components**

Microprocessor

For this project, we plan to use an ESP32-WROOM-32 module as the microcontroller. We chose this module for its small form factor and wifi and bluetooth capability, which gives us flexibility in how we transmit the suction data. It is also extremely inexpensive, which is important considering hospitals operate on a limited budget and our module needs to be deployed in each operating room. Finally, the ESP32 features extensive open-source libraries, documentation, and community support, which will significantly simplify the development process.

Pressure Transducer

The Transducers Direct TDH31 pressure transducer will be used to monitor real-time suction. It works by converting vacuum pressure into an electrical signal readable by the ESP32. We chose this module for its compatibility with medical suction ranges, compact design for easy integration, and reliability in continuous-use environments. The sensor’s analog output provides a simple and accurate way to track suction status with minimal additional circuitry.


BLE Shield

The HM-19 BLE module will be used to relay suction data from the ESP32 to the Raspberry Pi. This module supports Bluetooth Low Energy 4.2, providing reliable short-range communication while consuming minimal power, which is critical for continuous monitoring in hospital settings. Its compact footprint and simple UART interface make it easy to integrate with the ESP32 without adding unnecessary complexity.


Raspberry Pi Display Module

The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B paired with the Raspberry Pi 7″ Touchscreen Display will serve as the central monitoring and alert system. The Raspberry Pi was chosen for its quad-core processing power, extensive I/O support, and strong software ecosystem, making it well-suited to run the suction monitoring application and integrate with the Epic scheduling system. The 7″ touchscreen will allow the module to be mounted in the hallway, providing an interface that allows staff to quickly view operating room suction status, with clear color-coded indicators and alerts. This combination also enables both visual and audio notifications when suction is unnecessarily left on, ensuring staff can respond promptly.

Software Application

The application will run on the Raspberry Pi and serve as the central hub for data processing and visualization. It will collect suction pressure readings from the ESP32 via the HM-19 BLE module and compare this data against the hospital’s operating room schedule retrieved through the Epic system. A color-coded interface on the Raspberry Pi touchscreen will clearly show which operating rooms are in use, whether suction is active, and show where suction has been unnecessarily left on.

**Criteria for Success:**

Our system must remain cost-effective, with a total component cost under $1,200 per unit to align with hospital budgets. The hardware module must securely attach to suction shut-off valves, remain compact, and accurately detect suction levels using an. Data must be reliably transmitted to a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, which will also pull operating room schedules from the Epic system. Finally, the touchscreen application must clearly display suction status with color coding and issue real-time alerts when suction is left on unnecessarily.

Phone Audio FM Transmitter

Madigan Carroll, Dan Piper, James Wozniak

Phone Audio FM Transmitter

Featured Project

# Phone Audio FM Transmitter

Team Members:

James Wozniak (jamesaw)

Madigan Carroll (mac18)

Dan Piper (depiper2)

# Problem

In cars with older stereo systems, there are no easy ways to play music from your phone as the car lacks Bluetooth or other audio connections. There exist small FM transmitters that circumvent this problem by broadcasting the phone audio on some given FM wavelength. The main issue with these is that they must be manually tuned to find an open wavelength, a process not easily or safely done while driving.

# Solution

Our solution is to build upon these preexisting devices, but add the functionality of automatically switching the transmitter’s frequency, creating a safer and more enjoyable experience. For this to work, several components are needed: a Bluetooth connection to send audio signals from the phone to the device, an FM receiver and processing unit to find the best wavelength to transmit on, and an FM transmitter to send the audio signals to be received by the car stereo.

# Solution Components

## Subsystem 1 - Bluetooth Interface

This system connects the user’s phone, or other bluetooth device to our project. It should be a standalone module that handles all the bluetooth functions, and outputs an audio signal that will be modulated and transmitted by the FM Transmitter. Note: this subsystem may be included in the microcontroller.

## Subsystem 2 - FM Transmitter

This module will transmit the audio signal output by our bluetooth module. It will modulate the signal to FM frequency chosen by the control system. Therefore, the transmitting frequency must be able to be tuned electronically.

## Subsystem 3 - FM Receiver

This module will receive an FM signal. It must be able to be adjusted electronically (not with a mechanical potentiometer) with a signal from the control system. It does not need to fully demodulate the signal, as we only need to measure the power in the signal. Note: if may choose to have a single transceiver, in which case the receiver subsystem and the transmitter subsystem will be combined into a single subsystem.

## Subsystem 4 - Control System

The control system will consist of a microcontroller and surrounding circuitry, capable of reading the power output of the FM receiver, and outputting a signal to adjust the receiving frequency, in order to scan the FM band. We will write and upload a program to determine the most suitable frequency. It will then output a signal to the FM transmitter to adjust the transmitting frequency to the band determined above. We are planning on using the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 microcontroller given its built-in Bluetooth module and low power usage.

## Subsystem 5 - Power

Our device is designed to be used in a car, so It must be able to be powered by a standard automobile auxiliary power outlet which provides 12-13V DC and usually at least 100W. This should be more than sufficient. We plan to purchase a connector that can be plugged into this port, with leads that we can wire to our circuit.

# Criterion for Success

The device can pair with a phone via bluetooth and receive an audio signal from a phone.

The Device transmits an FM signal capable of being detected by a standard fm radio

The Device can receive FM signals and scan the FM bands.

The digital algorithm is able to compare the strength of different channels and determine the optimal channel.

The device is able to automatically switch the transmitting channel to the predetermined best channel when the user pushes a button.