Problem: “Silent Crisis in Rural Healthcare”

Description: In rural and underserved regions, limited access to medical facilities delays early detection of critical health conditions like cardiovascular diseases, respiratory issues, and hypoxia. This leads to preventable complications, hospitalizations, and even fatalities.

Effects: Poor health outcomes, economic strain on families, and overburdened healthcare systems.

Solution

1. Wearable Vital Sign Monitor

Objective: Create a low-cost wearable device to monitor heart rate, blood oxygen levels, temperature, humidity, and GPS location. Data is transmitted to a Flask server or Google Sheets for remote analysis, enabling early intervention.

Parts Used:

– MAX30102 Heart Rate Sensor : Measures heart rate and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2).

– DHT11 Temperature/Humidity Sensor : Monitors environmental conditions affecting health.

– GPS Module (NEO-6M) : Tracks patient location for emergency response.

– ESP32 : Wi-Fi-enabled microcontroller for sensor data aggregation and cloud transmission.

– Teyleten OLED Display : Shows real-time vitals for local monitoring.

– Resistors (Photoresistors: Optional for ambient light adjustment of the OLED screen.

Process

1. Sensor Integration:

– Connect MAX30102 (I²C interface) and DHT11 (digital output) to ESP32 GPIO pins.

– Use the GPS module to log location data via UART.

2. MicroPython Code:

– Read sensor data at intervals (e.g., every 30 seconds).

– Display vitals on the OLED.

– Transmit data to a Flask server via Wi-Fi (using `urequests` for HTTP POST) or Google Sheets (via IFTTT Webhooks).

3. Cloud Dashboard:

– Build a Flask app to store data in a database (e.g., SQLite).

– Create interactive charts/gauges (Plotly/Dash or Google Data Studio) to visualize trends.

4. Alert System:

– Trigger SMS/email alerts (via Twilio or Gmail API) if vitals exceed thresholds (e.g., SpO2 < 90%).

Benefits:

– Early detection of health anomalies (e.g., hypoxia, fever).

– Enables telemedicine by providing doctors with real-time patient data.

– Reduces hospital visits, lowering costs and exposure to infections.

– GPS integration aids emergency response for remote patients.