## **Inspiration**

We took inspiration from real people who have this neurological disorder. We wanted to develop an app that gives users with this disorder confidence and assurance knowing that help is on its way. The following is the epilepsy story of Brandi Parker (<http://www.cureepilepsy.org/share/my-story.asp?story=15):>

"At the age of 15 I had my first seizure. I was in high school and didn't want anyone to know that I had epilepsy. I have only had seizures on two occasions. I was so ashamed and didn't want people to think that something was wrong with me. I finally got to the point where I told people that I had epilepsy. I came to the place that I realized that I had to own my epilepsy or it would control me." -Brandy Parker

## **Epilepsy Facts**

Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder and affects people of all ages.
Epilepsy means the same thing as "seizure disorders".
Epilepsy is characterized by unpredictable seizures and can cause other health problems.
Epilepsy is a spectrum condition with a wide range of seizure types and control varying from person-to-person.

## **What is Ep-Detect?**

Ep-Detect is an Android application which is able to detect an epilepsy and informs this to a list of contacts to help prevent brain injury. It connects to a Pebble via Bluetooth which is able to detect intense shaking. Once the app recognizes that an elliptical attack is happening, it sends a text message to every contact provided with the location of the person having the attack. The app also attempts to contact emergency services. If case of a false alarm, the user will have 10 seconds to notify the app of this event.

## **How we built it**

Ep-Detect connects to a Pebble smartwatch via Bluetooth. The app stores contacts added by the user using SQLite. Once severe shaking is detected, the user is given 10 seconds to notify the app of a false alarm. Once this 10 second time period have passed, the app will get the location of the user with Google Maps and will send a text message to all contacts stored in the database using SMSManager. Also, using the Nuance Speech Kit, a warning message is triggered to alert anyone nearby of the situation. We attempted to call emergency services using a voice message using Twilio, however that feature required a paid account.

## **Challenges we ran into**

We initially ran into problems with the Pebble. At first, we weren't able to communicate with the Pebble from the app. However, we were able to find a solution using the AppMessage method. Another challenge we faced was interrupting the Nuance Speech Kit when it was playing.

## **Accomplishments that we're proud of**

We are very happy to solve the problem of detecting elliptical attacks. We were able to provide a fully functional app that can help prevent injuries and better people's lives. We were also able to make use of two APIs.

## **What we learned**

We are now more informed about this neurological disorder and we learned how technology can assist or even provide a solution to prevent injuries. Technical wise, we learned how to use the Pebble smartwatch and gain android skills. Also, we learned how to communicate and work efficiently in a team of three.

## **Next steps for Ep-Detect**

There is always room for improvement for the UI of the app. If time permitted, we would've liked to try out more APIs for the app. We would perform experiments on real users and more testing to improve the app.
## What it does

Blink is a communication tool for those who cannot speak or move, while being significantly more affordable and accurate than current technologies on the market. [The ALS Association](http://www.alsa.org/als-care/augmentative-communication/communication-guide.html) recommends a $10,000 communication device to solve this problem—but Blink costs less than $20 to build.

You communicate using Blink through a modified version of **Morse code**. Blink out letters and characters to spell out words, and in real time from any device, your caretakers can see what you need. No complicated EEG pads or camera setup—just a small, unobtrusive sensor can be placed to read blinks!

The Blink service integrates with [GIPHY](https://giphy.com) for GIF search, [Earth Networks API](https://www.earthnetworks.com) for weather data, and [News API](https://newsapi.org) for news.

## Inspiration

Our inspiration for this project came from [a paper](http://www.wearabletechnologyinsights.com/articles/11443/powering-devices-through-blinking) published on an accurate method of detecting blinks, but it uses complicated, expensive, and less-accurate hardware like cameras—so we made our own **accurate, low-cost blink detector**.

## How we built it

The backend consists of the sensor and a Python server. We used a capacitive touch sensor on a custom 3D-printed mounting arm to detect blinks. This hardware interfaces with an Arduino, which sends the data to a Python/Flask backend, where the blink durations are converted to Morse code and then matched to English characters.

The frontend is written in React with [Next.js](https://github.com/zeit/next.js) and [`styled-components`](https://styled-components.com). In real time, it fetches data from the backend and renders the in-progress character and characters recorded. You can pull up this web app from multiple devices—like an iPad in the patient’s lap, and the caretaker’s phone. The page also displays weather, news, and GIFs for easy access.

**Live demo: [blink.now.sh](https://blink.now.sh)**

## Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest technical challenges building Blink was decoding blink durations into short and long blinks, then Morse code sequences, then standard characters. Without any libraries, we created our own real-time decoding process of Morse code from scratch.

Another challenge was physically mounting the sensor in a way that would be secure but easy to place. We settled on using a hat with our own 3D-printed mounting arm to hold the sensor. We iterated on several designs for the arm and methods for connecting the wires to the sensor (such as aluminum foil).

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

The main point of PennApps is to **build a better future**, and we are proud of the fact that we solved a real-world problem applicable to a lot of people who aren't able to communicate.

## What we learned

Through rapid prototyping, we learned to tackle difficult problems with new ways of thinking. We learned how to efficiently work in a group with limited resources and several moving parts (hardware, a backend server, a frontend website), and were able to get a working prototype ready quickly.

## What's next for Blink

In the future, we want to simplify the physical installation, streamline the hardware, and allow multiple users and login on the website. Instead of using an Arduino and breadboard, we want to create glasses that would provide a less obtrusive mounting method. In essence, we want to perfect the design so it can easily be used anywhere.

Thank you!
## Inspiration

Members of our team know multiple people who suffer from permanent or partial paralysis. We wanted to build something that could be fun to develop and use, but at the same time make a real impact in people's everyday lives. We also wanted to make an affordable solution, as most solutions to paralysis cost thousands and are inaccessible. We wanted something that was modular, that we could 3rd print and also make open source for others to use.

## What it does and how we built it

The main component is a bionic hand assistant called The PulseGrip. We used an ECG sensor in order to detect electrical signals. When it detects your muscles are trying to close your hand it uses a servo motor in order to close your hand around an object (a foam baseball for example). If it stops detecting a signal (you're no longer trying to close) it will loosen your hand back to a natural resting position. Along with this at all times it sends a signal through websockets to our Amazon EC2 server and game. This is stored on a MongoDB database, using API requests we can communicate between our games, server and PostGrip. We can track live motor speed, angles, and if it's open or closed. Our website is a full-stack application (react styled with tailwind on the front end, node js on the backend). Our website also has games that communicate with the device to test the project and provide entertainment. We have one to test for continuous holding and another for rapid inputs, this could be used in recovery as well.

## Challenges we ran into

This project forced us to consider different avenues and work through difficulties. Our main problem was when we fried our EMG sensor, twice! This was a major setback since an EMG sensor was going to be the main detector for the project. We tried calling around the whole city but could not find a new one. We decided to switch paths and use an ECG sensor instead, this is designed for heartbeats but we managed to make it work. This involved wiring our project completely differently and using a very different algorithm. When we thought we were free, our websocket didn't work. We troubleshooted for an hour looking at the Wifi, the device itself and more. Without this, we couldn't send data from the PulseGrip to our server and games. We decided to ask for some mentor's help and reset the device completely, after using different libraries we managed to make it work. These experiences taught us to keep pushing even when we thought we were done, and taught us different ways to think about the same problem.

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

Firstly, just getting the device working was a huge achievement, as we had so many setbacks and times we thought the event was over for us. But we managed to keep going and got to the end, even if it wasn't exactly what we planned or expected. We are also proud of the breadth and depth of our project, we have a physical side with 3rd printed materials, sensors and complicated algorithms. But we also have a game side, with 2 (questionable original) games that can be used. But they are not just random games, but ones that test the user in 2 different ways that are critical to using the device. Short burst and hold term holding of objects. Lastly, we have a full-stack application that users can use to access the games and see live stats on the device.

## What's next for PulseGrip

* working to improve sensors, adding more games, seeing how we can help people

We think this project had a ton of potential and we can't wait to see what we can do with the ideas learned here.

## Check it out

<https://hacks.pulsegrip.design>

<https://github.com/PulseGrip>