Gripp

Gripp is a hand-grip dynamometer that measures and benchmarks grip strength, with the intent of providing intelligent recommendations that can optimize the health and fitness protocols of users.

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Inspiration

Grip strength has been shown to be a powerful biomarker for numerous physiological processes. Two particularly compelling examples are Central Nervous System (CNS) fatigue and overall propensity for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). The core idea is not about building a hand grip strengthening tool, as this need is already largely satisfied within the market by traditional hand grip devices currently. Rather, it is about building a product that leverages the insights behind one’s hand grip to help users make more informed decisions about their physical activities and overall well-being.

What it does

Gripp is a physical device that users can squeeze to measure their hand grip strength in a low-cost, easy-to-use manner. The resulting measurements can be benchmarked against previous values taken by oneself, as well as comparable peers. These will be used to provide intelligent recommendations on optimal fitness/training protocols through providing deeper, quantifiable insights into recovery.

How we built it

Gripp was built using a mixture of both hardware and software.

On the hardware front, the project began with a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) model of the device. With the requirement to build around the required force sensors and accompanying electronics, the resulting model was customized exclusively for this product, and subsequently, 3-D printed. Other considerations included the ergonomics of holding the device, and adaptability depending on the hand size of the user. Exerting force on the Wheatstone bridge sensor causes it to measure the voltage difference caused by minute changes to resistance. These changes in resistance are amplified by the HX711 amplifier and converted using an ESP32 into a force measurement.

From there, the data flows into a MySQL database hosted in Apache for the corresponding user, before finally going to the front-end interface dashboard.

Challenges we ran into

There were several challenges that we ran into.

On the hardware side, getting the hardware to consistently output a force value was challenging. Further, listening in on the COM port, interpreting the serial data flowing in from the ESP-32, and getting it to interact with Python (where it needed to be to flow through the Flask endpoint to the front end) was challenging.

On the software side, our team was challenged by the complexities of the operations required, most notably the front-end components, with minimal experience in React across the board.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Connecting the hardware to the back-end database to the front-end display, and facilitating communication both ways, is what we are most proud of, as it required navigating several complex issues to reach a sound connection.

What we learned

The value of having another pair of eyes on code rather than trying to individually solve everything. While the latter is often possible, it is a far less efficient (especially when around others) methodology.

What's next for Gripp

Next for Gripp on the hardware side is continuing to test other prototypes of the hardware design, as well as materials (e.g., a silicon mould as opposed to plastic). Additionally, facilitating the hardware/software connection via Bluetooth.

From a user-interface perspective, it would be optimal to move from a web-based application to a mobile one.

On the front-end side, continuing to build out other pages will be critical (trends, community), as well as additional features (e.g., readiness score).

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