Wearable Anxiety Bracelet
Disclaimer: This project was interrupted by the transition from in-person school to virtual school and, therefore, the progress on this project was stalled.
Overview
What: A bracelet designed to help young kids with anxiety disorders manage their anxiety.
Why: In the US about 7.1% of children have diagnosed anxiety. That’s 4.4 million kids!
How: Using a combination of sensors this bracelet would determine when a child is experiencing anxiety and notify them by vibrating. It would then use LED's to help them regulate their breathing.
What: A bracelet designed to help young kids with anxiety disorders manage their anxiety.
Why: In the US about 7.1% of children have diagnosed anxiety. That’s 4.4 million kids!
How: Using a combination of sensors this bracelet would determine when a child is experiencing anxiety and notify them by vibrating. It would then use LED's to help them regulate their breathing.
Sensors:
Galvanic skin response sensor, Lilypad temperature sensor, Myoware muscle tension sensor, Adafruit Bluefruit microcontroller
Galvanic skin response sensor, Lilypad temperature sensor, Myoware muscle tension sensor, Adafruit Bluefruit microcontroller
Idea
When I was first brainstorming for this project I wanted to choose a topic that I cared deeply about. I myself struggle with anxiety disorders and have since I was young. Over the years I have started to learn how to manage anxiety disorders, but I know first hand how hard that can be for a child. For this STEAM project I wanted to make something specifically for young kids with anxiety disorders, something to help kids recognize when they're feeling anxious so that they can then work on managing the anxiety. |
Research
I started by researching anxiety disorders and the symptoms of anxiety attacks. When someone has anxiety they can experience real physical symptoms. Some prominent symptoms are heart palpitations or a fast heart beat, sweaty palms, cold sweats, hot flashes, and muscle tension. By using these symptoms to guide me I then went and looked for different sensors that could identify these things. After doing further research on sensors and wearables I decided to focus on temperature, muscle tension, and perspiration. I chose to use a lithium ion polymer battery for easier use. The bluefruit feather board is also bluetooth for practicality. |
Build
This project is currently still on the build stage. After researching, the first step would be to use a breadboard to test the sensors and the circuitry. As I continue this project I plan on sewing the sensors into a secure band that can be worn around your wrist. In order to test the prototypes I would have people with anxiety wear it while doing typically anxiety inducing things, such as short timed tests, to test the device's functionality and ability to recognize stress and anxiety. |
Reflect
Before this project I hadn’t had experience with choosing and doing research to find the best sensor for a wearable project nor had I made a wearable project that included sensors. Not only does this STEAM project give me the opportunity to learn and grow in areas of engineering and the design process, but it allows me the opportunity to create something for an issue that I am very passionate about. |