Meeting Minutes

16 June 2020  

  • Digital stethoscope 
  • If mobile app, use Javascript/ Python. If computer interface Matlab? 
  • Actual stethoscope: 3D printer? Plastic VS Metal 
  • Don’t need ear thing, connect straight to device 
  • Advantage: cost effectiveness, quick medical advice for lower cost? Efficiency, real time analysis and observation 
  • Back-up idea: Human biosonar 
  • Device that uses ultrasound and converts it to sounds within the audible range so that user can form a mental image of the 3D space around them? 
  • OR device that can identify smaller objects out of everything around them.  
  • Could be too ambitious cos there doesn’t exist a library of the sounds emitted by different objects 
  • OR project could be to create the library. Train a model to create a library of ultrasound data 

After meeting with Dr Ho: 

  • Decided on digital stethoscope 
  • Are existing products expensive? 
  • Only one exists that is currently used by physicians 
  • How is it powered? 
  • Currently lithium battery 
  • How to make it last longer than 24 hours? 
  • How to make it small and easily attachable to body?  
  • Stemoscope? Thin disc 
  • How is it transmitted to device? 
  • Bluetooth.  
  • Process sound then send data to device. Mobile app coded in Java 
  • 3M has an adaptive noise filter function, so that disruptions from the surroundings won’t affect diagnosis? 
  • Can measure blood pressure + lung sounds + heart sounds 
  • Is it possible to listen to stomach sounds? But for what purpose? 
  • Can the device have other sound related use? 
    • EG sticking to body when exercising, can replace treadmill test without having to go on a treadmill and get the equipments and have a doctor present
    • Read profiles of asthmatic patients. Figure out what triggers their attacks. Could help in situations such as melbourne’s “thunderstorm asthma” where asthmatic community could be warned of it using a collective warning  
    • Could monitor health condition of the aged? Eg breathing abnormalities etc 
    • Is it what an Apple watch does though?? 

 

Summary: 

  1. Figure out logistics (May and Truc) + PRICE 
    1. Installing battery module 
    2. What components are we going to use 
  2. How to interface from arduino to mobile device? (Yanxi)
  3. Coding and application? (Jia Hao)
  4. Contact Tony and meet him preferably this week (Truc) 
  5. WRAS (Jia Hao) 

 

1 July 2020 

To do: 

  • Code in Matlab (Jia Hao) 
  • Code in C (Yanxi) 
  • Design the draft of our prototype on Fusion360 before meeting with Tony (May and Truc) 
  • 15 x 7 x 10 x 3 
  • Battery –> 2cm x 2.25cm x 0.75cm 
  • MEET TONY this week, email him (Truc) 
  • Ask him if we can use silicon for 3D printing (if not possible can try to use fabrics/ wires to connect the circuitries) 
  • Solid works workshop on Friday

Battery, arduino and microphone to fit into the box. 

  • Current stethoscopes either have the wire or are too bulky 
  • A rigid flex arduino box would be smaller but is not in the market yet 

In a typical stethoscope, the metal piece acts as amplifier but we might not have space for that: 

  • Chamber dome (wide) to let sound resonate within the amplifier 
  • Might be too noisy? Need a band path filter 

Wearable bluetooth patch relies on ECG signals and needs a lot of small machinery and extra coding. This could be an ECG project but hard to look at lung sounds (need chest pad sensor?) 

Main aim of our project is to analyse sounds (respiratory patterns and heart murmers) over a prolonged period of time and as unobstructive as possible  

For the first prototype, probably cant be that small  

Prototype to be done by week 4