MEDICAL ROVER. Locus Gives the doctors and nurses a hand

Transcription

1 Locus 2014 MEDICAL ROVER Gives the doctors and nurses a hand Powered by an Arduino and controlled from a Python App, this robot will revolutionize the way of working in hospitals. Ashim Sitoula Binaya Giri Locus2014

2 Contents: Title Page Abstract 2 Introduction 3 Problem Statement 4 Objectives 5 Working Mechanism 6 Block Diagram 7 Further Implementation 8 Conclusion 8 References 8 1

3 Abstract: When we walk into any hospital in Nepal, it isn t a very pleasant scene. It takes hours to fill up a form and get a patient registered. After getting registered, a patient, at times, will have to wait hours for medicine to arrive. In crucial cases, this is totally unacceptable: it s about life and death. But we are living in the age of science, and using the power of technology we can solve problems. By building smart machines and applying algorithmic techniques into them, we are able to solve problems that many people had never imagined before. The best part of technology is how it blends so well in the health sector. CT scans, X-Rays and ECGs all make use of modern technology that has bettered the lives of people. Other gifts of technology are Robots. They are lovely creatures packed with electronic ingredients. They can be programmed to perform a set of patterns or routines by detecting changes in environment variables by the use of sensors. They can express themselves through LED blinks and speaker beeps as well as through LCDs or mechanical devices such as a motor. In the real world, they execute tasks efficiently at high speed. And so, Medical Rover is the name of our robot, and it plans to assist hospitals through the power of technology. 2

4 Introduction: In 2005, a group of engineers introduced an electronic prototyping platform board called the Arduino. Arduino is the true trailblazer in the microcontroller area and the device that started the whole maker revolution. Anyone can pick up an Arduino and start building robots without prior experience and exposure to electronics. In other words, Arduino gets a person connected to technology easily and brings us somewhat close to the theme of Locus 2014, Ghar Ghar Ma Prabidhi. There are two reasons for mentioning Arduino here: 1) Our team does not have depth knowledge of electronics which is why Arduino came handy 2) Arduino is used in our robot, which was obvious! Medical Rover is an Arduino Based Robot controlled via a computer. This robot s primary goal is to deliver medicines at high speed from the medicine facility to a certain patient s room in the hospital. A Python App installed on the computer makes it possible to communicate with the robot wirelessly and exchange information. By simply clicking buttons on the GUI, we can command the robot to go to a certain room, or to return back to the facility, and it travels the entire route by simply following a line! 3

5 Problem Statement: The present condition and state of the majority of hospitals is miserable Untimely delivery of medicines is a common problem in hospitals While fitted with technological devices, hospitals lack a technological environment The working system, although improved nowadays, is still not systematic and scientific The system of delivering of medicines is also not managed properly which is why there is delay in transporting medicines The medicine directory is not frequently updated and many medicines are outdated Under qualified personnel are hired to transport medicines in many cases 4

6 Objectives: To introduce Medical Rover in the hospitals and clinics, that will sprout sense of change which will automatically encourage to uplift the status of the area To not only will medicines be delivered timely, but also to notify the control room upon successful delivery of the medicine To technologically revolutionize the hospital which will result in other advancements in cleanliness and security To implement a systematic process of delivery of medicine that will be in a routine and timed manner To aware the entire staff about the necessity of updating the medicine directory To get rid of under qualified people who cannot be trusted in matters of heath To demonstrate the use of Arduino that will encourage small kids and high-school students to get into robotics and electronics To demonstrate the use of Arduino in a bigger project than just blinking an LED 5

7 Working Mechanism: We used Python to develop a GUI with a couple of buttons that makes it easy to control the robot. For eg: on clicking button Room 1, the robot s goal will be to reach room 1 by following a line. Medical Rover uses IR sensors to follow a line. In other words, it is partly a line following robot. A line following robot is a robot which follows a certain path controlled by a feedback mechanism. Our robot uses IR sensors to detect the line and follow it. First, readings from the sensors are reported to the microcontroller and an algorithm tells the robot s motors to speed at specified times. An instance of the algorithm can be: For a robot with 3 sensors following a black line: if the left sensor sees white, the middle sees black and the right sees white again, robot moves forward. But just following a line will not do! The robot must be capable of successfully reaching the patient s room from the medical facility. For this, pre-defined paths are stored into the robot s memory so that when the Python app commands it to go to room 1, it already knows how many turns and on which side it needs to turn. But what about the communication? How does the computer control the robot wirelessly? When a button is clicked in the GUI, an Arduino plugged into the computer receives the incoming data through Serial Communication. This data is further communicated towards the Arduino on the robot via RF modules. Finally, the algorithm tells the Arduino what each data refers to. Also, the robot can even send feedback back to the computer once it has delivered the medicine and the Python App can also directly transport information into the robot s LCD. 6

8 BLOCK-DIAGRAM: A block diagram will make things clearer: Line Following part: IR sensor readings are reported to the microcontroller PID algorithm takes the readings and controls motor speeds accordingly Robot smoothly follows the line with an extremely minimum error. The communication part: Computer running a Python App The robot sends feedback to the computer confirming the delivery Arduino receives data through serial communication Algorithm compares the incoming data and the robot performs specified actions Arduino transfers data to the robot via RF modules 7

9 Further Implementation: Since the main principle here is line following, the same technique can be implemented in various other areas: Making use of a line sensor on a wheel chair to assist physically challenged people The same line following technique can be used in factories to develop automated equipment carriers to get rid of traditional conveyer belts The technique can also be used in automobiles And lastly, but the most fun part, we can build fun little robots to play with at our homes and get kids into robotics Conclusion: Medical Rover will entirely change the way of working in hospitals with much less load on the shoulders of the staff. But the major advantage of this system is that it is autonomous (with feedback and computer control), it is secure and it is reliable. References: 8