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OLED Display
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Circuit Diagram
Motivation
One of my friends was unlucky to have survived his nana and mama losing due to not getting emergency medical attention in time. Those deaths showed how urgent it would be to have such a system that can send alerts when someone's health is under danger. This personal tragedy made us design CardioAlert, a system that watches over heart rate in real time and makes sure that the guardians are immediately alerted in the event of such a potential cardiac emergency. We wanted to build a system that would save lives by ensuring timely intervention before it was too late.
What it does
CardioAlert is a real-time heart rate monitoring system designed to detect potentially life-threatening changes in heart rate. Using a pulse rate sensor, it continuously tracks the user's heart rate. When the heart rate exceeds a predefined threshold, the system conveys an instant warning to the appointed guardian coupled with a current location of the user through GPS. This early alerting system helps in this regard; it is sure that help will reach on time so that a person does not become a victim of a heart attack or any serious cardiac event.
How we built it
CardioAlert has been developed with an ESP32 microcontroller for processing and connectivity, along with a SIM module to send SMS alerts to the guardian. It has an integrated GPS module that provides the location of the user in case immediate assistance is required. For heart monitoring, we used an HW827 pulse rate sensor, which keeps track of the user's heart rate in real time. The system reads the sensor data and compares it with a set threshold. If the heart rate goes above this threshold, the system gives an SMS alert to the guardian, and action will be taken immediately.
Challenges we faced
One of the biggest challenges we had was the accurate calibration of the HW827 pulse rate sensor. Initially, there was inconsistency in the sensor readings, so we were not getting reliable heart rates. To further add to it, the libraries and code we had to deal with to interface the pulse rate sensor with the ESP32 were new, and we had never used them before. Debugging issues associated with such libraries consumed much time because we needed to get the library compatible and reliable for communication from the sensor to the microcontroller. We stuck to it and found ways to calibrate the sensor perfectly and make the system work flawlessly.
Achievements we are proud of
We completed the project within the specified time frame and overcame technical obstacles; we got it right in regard to getting true heart rate measurements. Despite initial problems in sensor calibration and integration of various components, we managed to build a workable prototype that works properly. The system is now capable of providing real-time alerts, and guardians will immediately be notified if their loved one's heart rate exceeds the danger threshold.
What we learned
In developing CardioAlert, we learned quite a bit about sensor calibration, new libraries, and troubleshooting technical issues. We also gained important insights into real-time data monitoring, GPS modules, and sending alerts through a SIM module. This project helped us improve our skills in the integration of hardware and software components while learning how to deal with unexpected challenges that arise during the development process. Most importantly, we learned how technology can be used to really make an impact in people's lives by trying to prevent a potential health crisis.
What's next for CardioAlert
In the next phase of development, we plan to enhance the accuracy of the heart rate monitoring and enhance the system's capabilities to track continuously over extended periods. We also want to have enhanced communication with hospitals and ambulances so that the medical professionals can respond more quickly when an alert has been triggered. Directly connecting the system with emergency services makes sure that the guardian's alert will have professional attention immediately, while reducing response times and improving safety overall. We would expand the system to include more advanced features like automatic detection of other medical emergencies as well as integrating additional biometric sensors.
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