Design of a low-cost IOT based smart-watch to aid Alzheimer’s patients and caretakers

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive deficits in memory and cognitive and behavioral impairments that ultimately lead to dementia. Dementia is the deficiency of psychological working, thinking, recalling, and failing to fulfill social capacities so much that it negatively affects one's day-to-day activities.  Currently, Alzheimer's disease is one of the main causes of death worldwide and affects nearly 5.4 million individuals in the USA [1].  As a general rule, Alzheimer's illness has no survivors as it causes severe memory changes and leads to the loss of body functions [2]. Currently, there is no available potent treatment for Alzheimer's illness as many treatment methodologies such as stem cell treatment are still in the experimental stage. Hence it is imperative to develop rehabilitative technologies that will help manage symptoms and enhance the quality of life of patients. [3]Due to a lack of available caretakers and due to the extensive costs of hiring them, some families are not able to afford caretakers and are forced to act as caretakers themselves and carry out their jobs at the same time. In this work, we present the simulation results of a low-cost smartwatch for the patients to enhance the quality of their lives, help rehabilitation and help out caretakers by providing regular information about the patient. The device was simulated in Proteus 8.20 software. Based on an extensive literature survey, the tasks to be performed by the device are determined. They include reminding the patient to carry out daily tasks (such as medications, exercise, etc), monitor where the patient is in the house, alert the caretakers in case of an emergency, and displaying time. An ideal design of the device should be portable, and easy to use, even for an elderly patient. The aim is to make a device adaptable and accessible for every segment of society, therefore the price of the device is maintained as low as possible [4].

The components required for implementation and the flow of information in the device are displayed in the block diagram (Fig 1). A NodeMCU is used as the primary microcontroller as the programming board includes an inbuilt Wifi module. The MPU6050 accelerometer provides is used to obtain positional information to detect a rapid change in position and alert the caretaker in case of a fall. The analog temperature sensor is used to calculate and display the temperature in the mobile application, the caretaker is alerted in case of high temperatures. The GPS module provides information regarding the location of the patient Finally, the wearable device additionally consists of a switch pressed by the patient to alert the caretaker in case of emergencies. The LCD display is used to display the time and is used to remind the patient of his/her activities and the app provides information regarding the location, speed, and temperature of the patient and additionally provides notification alerts in case of emergency situations. Finally, the smartwatch is also equipped with a vibration motor that turns on whenever alerts are provided.

The circuit was designed and simulated in different scenarios. Firstly, the normal condition was tested, here no alerts are provided and there are no emergencies that the caretaker must be alerted to. The virtual terminal in Proteus is used to display the output that will be displayed in the mobile application. Fig 2 represents the smartwatch circuit simulated in Proteus.

The next step in research would be to formulate a prototype using the aforementioned sensors and conduct tests. A user-friendly, power-optimized app to be installed by the caretaker needs to be developed. Various design considerations need to be evaluated and the device has to be made more user-friendly before construction. The client’s inclinations must be taken into account, this can be done with the help of a few surveys and the device must be light, robust, and easy to handle, understand, and cause no discomfort to the patient. From reminding routine activities to fall detection and monitoring patients, the proposed IoT Smartwatch can help care of dementia patients in every way. It helps combat the major problems involved in the early, mild, and moderate stages of Alzheimer's disease [5]. The smartwatch can also be coupled with other available treatment methods such as medicine dispensing systems where the caretaker will be informed whether the patient has taken his/her medicines.