ConceptofOperations

EngineeringDesign100
Team1:Section017
JohnDick,LyleGrove,LeahMustee,KevinWang

JohnDick:http://www.personal.psu.edu/jsd5266/EDSGN100/home.html
LyleGrove:http://www.personal.psu.edu/lxg5183/LyleGrove/frame.html
LeahMustee:http://www.personal.psu.edu/lnm5151/frame.html
KevinWang:http://www.personal.psu.edu/kvw5288/Kevin/HTML%20Docs/frame.html

Summary:
IntheUnitedState29%ofolderpeoplelivealonewithouthelp.Withanumberof
11.3millionelderly,manytendtoforgetthingswhentheyareolder,andastheyespecially
havetotakealotofmedications.Takingmedicationsontimeandattherightdosagesis
oftenimperativefortheirhealthandsurvival.Inordertoavoidtheriskofmixedmedication
ormisseddosages,ourproposedideaistocreateaelectronicdispensertokeeptrackof
thedosagewithavisualandaudionotificationsystemtoremindelderlypeopletotake
theirmedicationandisdiscussedinthisreport.

A.DefinitionofNeedsandRequirements

Introduction:
Thedevelopmentofthehomeinthepastcenturyhastransformedintomorethana
livingspace.Withnewtechnologyandmoreefficientmachines,ourhomeisaplacewhere
luxurycanbefound.Appliancesintegratesmartrecognitioncapabilitieswithtechnological
devicesinordertooptimizethelivingexperience.Nolongerdowethinkthattechnology
haslimitsrather,weseeanewinventionandautomaticallythinkthatwouldbeniceto
haveinourhouse.Thetechnologicaladvanceshaveallowedustomaketheliving
experienceasenjoyableandeasyaspossible.Herewewillexaminehownew
technologiesregardingthehomearetailoredtosatisfyessentialhumanneedsandresolve
anytechnologicalorethicalissues.

ResearchonVariousApplicationsforTechnology

Wearabledevicesinthehome
AConnectedhomeisevolvingtoincorporatemorewearabledevices.Oneexample
ofthisisGlocon.WhileGloconisstillbeingdeveloped,itwillhavetheabilitytoactasa
wirelesskey,andsinceitwillalwaysbearoundtheuserswrist,individualscanalwayslock
theirdoorswithoutfearofforgettingtheirkeys.Whilewearabledevicesthatareusedwith
connectedhomearenotavailableyet,theyaredefinitelyupcoming,addingmorecapability
toconnectedhometechnology.

http://glocon.me/featured/security/

Elderlylivinginplace
Connectedhometechnologycanbeusedtoallowtheelderlytocontinuelivingat
home,whilegivingfamilypeaceofmindthattheirlovedonesaresafe.Agoodexampleof
suchwearabledeviceincludesLifeAlert.LifeAlertincorporatesconnectedhomeand
wearabletechnology,givingtheelderlytheabilitytocallforhelpevenwhentheyarealone.
Lifealertdevicescanbeworn,likeanecklace,sothatcustomerswillhaveaccesstohelp
wherevertheyareintheirhome.Inadditiontothenecklace,LifeAlertcanalsoprovidean
appforsmartphonesensuringsafetywhiletraveling.Boththeappandthewearable
connecttheusertoanemployeeofLifeAlertwhothencontactstheproperauthorities,
24/7.LifeAlertcangethelpformedicalemergencies,fireprotection,COgasprotection
andhomeintrusion.Anotherproblemwithelderlythatarelivingontheirownis
rememberingtotakemedicationswhichcanhavehugehealthconsequences.IntheUnited
State29%ofolderpeoplelivealonewithouthelp.

http://www.lifealerthelp.com/?gclid=CKq5wK_arb0CFcyhOgodDH8AyA

ControlSystems
Beingabletocontrolthehomefromafarisoneoftechnologiesbiggestsperks.
Whetheritisadjustingthethermostatofthehomeoractivatinglights,thesefeatureswere
unheardofandunimaginedahundredyearsago.Yet,thisideacanbranchoffintomore
usefulconceptsforthefuture.Whetherforgettingtofeedthedog,wateringtheplant,or
havingarobotcleanupthekitchen,theseapplicationsofconnectivitycanbedonesimply
throughourfingertips.Theideaofhomeautomationoptimizesthelivingexperienceby
beingabletohavecontrolawayfromhome.Itallowsustolivealifewhichismoreefficient,
convenientandpowerful.

http://www.smarthome.com/_/index.aspx

InnovativeDesign
Theconceptofinnovativedesignallowsmoreflexibilityconsideringtechnologyhas
morecapabilitiesandpotential.Manyoldhomesareincapableofhostingthesetypesof
connectedhomes,soastheyearsprogress,thenumberofthesenewhomeswillincrease.
Asthehousingmarketisabilliondollarmarket,muchofthisamountwillbeallocatedto
involvingthedesignofnewertechnologies.Thebasicfoundationoftheconnectedhome
willbedifferentfromanystandardhome.Today,weseethesuburbsasthestandardfor
manysimilarhouses,yetasthesetechnologiesbecomemoreprevalent,thedesignswill
becomemorediverse.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/03/is2014theyearoftheconnectedhome/

SystemsIntegration
Howareweabletodoallthesetasks?Withthehelpofinternetorwirelessaccess,
thetransferofinformationbecomeseasy.Theonlythingthatisneededisastandard
platformforwhicheachtechnologycanrunon.Ifeverytechnologyisconnected,the
communicationbetweenthesetechnologiesisonthesamepage.Forexample,the
informationthetelevisionreceivedfromanincomingtelephonecallmaymutethe
television.Orasafetysystemthatrecognizesaninjuryoraccidentandcanassess
immediateaidorcontacttheauthoritiesforfurtherassistance.Ourstandardwasto
connectthecomputerormobiledevicestotheInternet,yetnowweareabletoconnect
everything.Theintegrationoftechnologyandconnectivityallowsustooptimizefeatureswe
neverdreamedof.

http://realtormag.realtor.org/dailynews/2014/01/09/homesaregettingsmartermoreconn
ected

Security
Todaymanysecuritysystemshavemotionsensors,pressureactivatedlocks,
vibrationsensorsonwindows,andvideomonitoring,allthroughthesamecompany.Many
ofthesecompaniesusetheInternettosendthevideomonitoringdatatothecentralhub
anddatabaseownedbythecompany.Thevideoinformationcanbeaccessedthrougha
multitudeofdevicessuchasthecomputer,Internet,andsmartphonewithnotificationswhen
achildmaycomehome.Securityisbecomingmoredigitalinthisnewagewhere
informationfliesatthespeedoflightandisinanerawheresecurityiseverything.Asseen
belowmanysecuritysystemsconnectwirelesslytoarouterorcentralcontrolsystemthat
connectsthroughtheinternettoyourotherdevices.

http://www.security.honeywell.com/
http://www.kwikset.com/default.aspx

EssentialHumanNeeds
Connectedhomehasimmensebenefitsforconsumers.Oneofthebiggestand
mostobviousbenefitsistheenergysavingcapabilityofconnectedhome.Byallowingthe
homeownertocontrolthethermostatandmakesureallthelightsareoffwhentheyare
awayfromhome,thehomeownercansaveenergyandsavemoneyonelectricityand
heating.Connectedhomealsohelpstheusersfeelsecurethroughavarietyofsecurity
features.Forexample,customersareabletomonitorwhichdoorsarelocked,andlock
onesthatarenotwhentheyareawayfromhome,ensuringthattheirhouseissecurefrom
anywhereatanytime.Also,withtheabilitytounlockthefrontdoorwithapersonalizedcode,
theconsumersofconnectedhomewillneverhavetoresorttoleavingkeysundermatsorin
otherplacesoutsidetheirhousesasdomanypeopledotoday.Overallconnectedhome
allowstheconsumerstosaveenergyandmoneyandalwayshaveapeaceofmindthat
theirhouseissecure.

http://www.kwikset.com/electronics/homeowners/index.aspx

TechnologicalandEthicalIssues
Oneofthemajorproblemswiththeinternetofthingsisthefactthatsinceeverything
canbeaccessedfromafar,hackerscancontrolyourhomeanddevicesfromalongways
awayandcanputyourhomeinavulnerableposition.Manyofthesecompaniesthatcreate
theseconnecteddevicesworrymoreaboutmakingmoneyontheproductthanmaking
surethatthedeviceissecure.Alotofthesecuritydevicescanhavelivesecurityfeeds.
Whichcanbringintothelimelighttheintegrityofthepeoplewatchingsomeofthelive
feeds.WatchfulStateanarticleintheNewYorkTimesstatedthatmanyofthepeople
viewingthemonitorsarelookingatthemforsomethingexcitingorscandaloustosee,
insteadofonlymonitoringforintrudersorcrimes.Beingwatchedallthetimeandtrackedis
ahugeethicalissuebecausemanypeoplelikeprivacy,butwiththisnewconnectedageit
ishardtohaveconvenienceandprivacyandsecurityatthesametime.

InternetofThings
Technologywilleventuallybeallaboutcreatinginformationfordatabaseswherethatdata
canbeminedforinformation.Alldevicesfromsecuritytoyourtoothbrushwillbeableto
sendsomedatatothecloudandwillthereforeneedtobeconnectedtotheinternet.

MachinetoMachineCommunication
Technologicaldeviceswilleventuallyallbeabletoimpacteachotherinmanyways.
Eventuallywhenyouturnoffyouralarm,thatwillsetoffachainreactionofyourcoffee
machinestartingtomakecoffee,theheaterwillheatthehouse,etc.Manyofthese
communicationtypeswilleitherbewiredorwirelessthrougharouterorbluetooth.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/517931/moreconnectedhomesmoreproblems/
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/07/magazine/awatchfulstate.html

B.DetailedDescriptionofCompetingAlternativeConceptualOptions

Heating/Cooling:
Need:Saveheatandenergycostsoverthecourseoftheyear.
Implementationofneed:Devicetominimizetheuseandtheheatingandcoolingsystemin
thehousebyusingsensorstodetectmovementandactivatesystem

Criteria:
Withhighcostforheatingandcoolinginhomesaswellaselectricity,devicesare
beingcreatedinordertoconserveenergyandultimatelylowercosts.Eachheatingdevice
willbeconnectedinternallywithawirelessmode.Thiswillallowthecommunicationofall
theheatingdevicestoworktogether.Easymanagementoftemperaturesandheating
controlsmaketheconceptofturningofftheheatveryaccessible.Also,devicesincludethe
useofamotionsensortocontrolthefurnaceandairconditioningaswellasturningthe
lightsonandoff.Accordingtoenergy.gov,45%ofheatingisspaceheating,anamount
thatjustgoestowaste.Thisheat/energymanagementsystemwillallowroomstobe
comfortablyadjusted,andturnedoffwhennotinuse.Aninsulationsystemwillbeusedin
conjunctiontocontaintheheat/coldandminimizestheamountofenergydissipation.An
initialinstallationmaybepricy,butinthelongrun,moneywillbesaved,andthisisaviable
investment.

http://energy.gov/articles/energysaver101infographichomeheating

Security:
Need:Tosecurethefamilyandpossessionsfromintruders.
Implementation:Usespressuresensitivesensorsoncertaindoorswithinthehouseand
lasersystemsthatdetermineintruders.

Criteria:
Inthistimeofagesecurityisatophumanneedtofeelsafe.Manynewdeviceshave
fingerprintscanners,whichwilleventuallybeincorporatedintohomesecurityinadditionto
retinalscanners.Thesedeviceshavetobeverysecureandcannotsavetheprintsand
retinalscansonacentralcloudserver.Thesedevicesthemselvesarenotexpensivebut
thesoftwarethatisabletodeterminethematchcanbeexpensivetomake.Themore
devicesthataresold,thelessexpensivethedevicescanbeduetosupplyanddemand.
Therearemanyethicalissueswiththisdevicesuchaswheretheykeepthedataforthe
privateinformationthefingerprintandtheretina.Ifthosemajorethicalissuesarefixedthen
thiswouldbeagreatsecuritydevicetokeeppeoplearoundtheUnitedStatesandthe
countryasawholesafe.

ElderlyLivinginHome:
Need:Allowtheelderlytocontinuelivingathome,ratherthaninaretirementhome.
Implementation:Adevicethatthewearercanusetocontacthelpiftheyfindthemselvesat
risk.

Criteria:
Theelderlyarevulnerableathomeandhavingtechnologythatcanalertauthorities
canofferasafetylikenoneother.Thefeaturesofcurrentelderlymonitoringdevicesinclude
anemergencycontactiftheyareinjuredandacarbonmonoxidemonitor.Whiletheseare
thestandardproblemsonemayface,devicesfortheelderlycanbeexpandevenfurther.
Withfeaturestocontactthepolice,firedepartment,orotherfamilymembers,thisdevice
willbeinstalledintothehouseanddoesnothavetobecarriedbytheelderly.Withsensors
throughoutthehome,itwillbeprogrammedtounderstanddanger.Itcomeswithan
overheadspeakerwhichthecompanycangiveadvicetotheelderlyastheywatchover
throughthecameras(onlyactivatedincaseofemergencies).Sowhilephonesmaynotbe
accessibleintimesofneed,thisdevicewillbeabletobeusedinanysituation.Theuseof
medicalemergencysystemsfortheelderlyisimportant,sothedevelopmentofonewith
featurestonotifytheappropriatepeopleiscrucial.

WearableDevicesinHome
Need:Homeownersrequirewearabledevices(cantlosesomethingifitsattachedtoyou)
thatmakeactionseffectinghomelifeeasier
Implementation:Acomputerizedbraceletnetworkedtoconnecthomeallowingtheuserto
unlockdoors,controlthermostatandlights,etc.

Criteria:
Newdevicesarebeingdevelopedtoincorporatewearabledevicesintoconnected
hometechnology,suchasbracelets.Thesebraceletshavemanyfunctions,forexample
unlockingdoors,andcontrollingthermostatsandlights.Wearabledevicessatisfiesthe
humanneedtobeinsuredthattheirhouseissecure.Byhavingthebraceletthatcanlock
doors,homeownerswillalwaysbeassuredthattheirhomeissafe.Wearabledevices
dontrequiremuchnewtechnology,theyjustrequireintegrationofcurrenttechnologies,
whichcancausesomeissues.Forexample,thebraceletrequiresintegrationofwearable
andconnectedhometechnology,whichmeansthebraceletmustbeabletointeractwith
thehome,throughtechnologysuchasbluetooth,or4GLTE.Inregardstostandards,the
wearabledevicesthatmaybeaccessibleinthenearfutureallfollowstandardssetby
todaystechnology.Whilefurtherinvestigationintowearabledevicesintegratedinto
connectedhomemayrequireresearchintonewtechnologies,whichcouldcosta
significantamount,thewearabledevices,suchasthebraceletaforementioned,arefairly
viable,withtheonlycostbeingthematerials,plastics,metals,circuitry,etc.Newlycreated
wearablesmayhavesomeethicalissues.Engineersneedtocreateanetworkcapableof
storingimportantinformationabouthouses(keycodes,addressesetc.)ifengineerscan
successfullydothis,wearabledevicesinthehomecouldbeextremelyuseful.

C.ConceptOptionsAnalysis/Selection&Combination

DeterminingWeightFactor

Criteria/
Require
ments
Human
needs
Technology Standards Economi
cViability
Ethical
Issues
Total
of
each
row
WFfor
each
rows=
Human
Needs
X 1 1 1 1 4 .4
Technolog
y
0 X 1 0 1 2 .2
Standards 0 0 X 0 1 1 .1
Economic
Viability
0 1 1 X 1 3 .3
Ethical
issues
0 0 0 0 X 0 0
Total
:10
Total
WF:1

Criteria/
Requirements
Weight
Factors
Concept
Option1:
ElderlyInthe
Home
Concept
Option2:
Wearables
intheHome

Concept
Option3:
Security
Concept
Option4:
Heating/
Energy
Efficiency

Rating
Weighted
Score Rating
Weighte
dScore Rating
Weighte
dScore Rating
Weigh
ted
Score
HumanNeeds 0.4 8 3.2 4 1.6 9 3.6 6 2.4
Technology 0.2 8 1.6 6 1.2 7 1.4 8 1.6
Standards 0.1 9 0.9 7 0.7 8 0.8 4 0.4
Economic
Viability 0.3 9 2.7 5 1.5 4 1.2 8 2.4
EthicalIssues
(concerned=
0) 0 10 0 6 0 7 0 10 0
Total 8.4 5 7 6.8

Conclusion:Wehavedecidedthatusingourconceptoptionsheetthatourprojectshould
bebasedonadevicefortheelderlyinthehome.

D.DetailedDescriptionoftheSelectedFinalConceptProposal

CurrentProblem:
Manyoftheelderlyhavetotakealotofmedicineforalloftheirailments,andthey
forgettotakethemwhichcouldbeveryhazardoustotheirhealth.Currentlytheonlysystem
usedtoorganizemedsforpeoplewithmultipleprescriptionsarepillboxesthatidentifythe
sevendaysoftheweekwhicharefilledwiththepillsthatneedtobetakenonthatday.
Problemswiththissystemincludeforgettingtorefilltheboxandnotrememberingtotake
them.Takingmedicationontimeanddailyisoftenimperativeforthesurvivalofpeoplewith
prescriptionssothischangeisnecessarysothatmisseddaysormixedupdosagesdont
occur.Wearegoingtohaveavisualandaudionotificationsystemtonotifytheelderlythat
theyneedtotaketheirmedicine.Alsotheelderlyschildrenwillbenotifiediftheirparents
donottaketheirmedicine.Thepriorityforthischangewouldbetoavoidunnecessary
healthhazardscausedbymissingmedicationoroverdosing,andtoeliminatehumanerror
whenfillingpillboxes.
Background1in10elderlyissuesatthehospitalisduetotakingthewrong
medication.ThiscanleadtoadverseeffectsthatmayleadtoDEATH.Withthedispenser,
itcouldeliminatetheriskofanyaccidents.

OurSolution:
Oursolutionistohaveascaleandanotificationdevicewithinallprescriptionpill
bottlesthathaveaQRCodeprintedontheoutsidethatwillallowathenotificationdevice
tobeactivated.ThisinformationthattheQRCodecontainswilltellthedevicehowoftena
certainmedicineshouldbetaken,howmanyareinacertainbottleandtheweightofeach
specifictablet.Thescaleatthebottomofthebottlewillbehookeduptoanotification
devicethatcandetermineifthemedicinehasbeentaken,andifthemedicationisnot
taken,alittlelightatthetopofthebottlewillblinkandthedatabasewillbenotifiedwhich
willalertanyasignificantotherorfamilymemberbyphone,email,textmessage,totellyou
totakeyourmedication!

DeviceLayout:

Ourdevicewillgothroughthefollowingsteps:

OperationoftheSystem:
1. Systemisnotifiedwhentimetotakemedicationhascome
2. Systemmonitorsifmedshavebeentaken
a. Ifmedicationhasnotbeentakensystem
i. notifiesuser
ii. notifiesusersdoctorandchosenfamilymembers
b. Systemchecksbackafterhalfanhour
i. ifmedshavebeentaken
1. systemshutsdownuntilitistimetorepeat
ii. ifmedshaven'tbeentaken
1. systembeginsnotificationcycleagain

CommunicationsDiagram:

OurdevicewilluseaZigBeecommunicationduetoitslargerange,itssimplicityandthe
factthatithasextremelylowbatteryconsumption.Thiswillenduptalkingtoarouterthat
willupdateourdatabasethroughtheinternet.

Summaryofimprovements:
Bykeepingtrackofmedications,thisdevicehelpstheprocessofmonitoringthe
elderlyshealthmucheasier.Itconnectsallpartiestogether,fromthedoctortothepatients
familytocommunicateandoverseethepatientsmedication.Essentiallythisdevicecan
actasadoctorandadviseorremindthepatientwhentotakemedicine.Thereareelderly
intheU.S.thatlivebythemselves,sothisisimportanttoconstantlyremindedwhenand
whatmedicinetotake.Forthoseresponsibleforrefillingthepatientsmedicine,theywill
getnotificationswhenthemedicationgetslow.Thedeviceitselfisameddispenserthat
offersvisualandaudionotificationtotheelderlytonotifywhentotakethemedication.Ifthe
patientmissesthemedication,itwillgive30minuteremindersaswellasnotificationsto
thefamilymembers.Itispoweredthroughanoutletbuthasbatterybackupintimesof
poweroutagesorothercircumstancesandcanbequiteportable.Itisconnectedtothe
internetthroughwirelessconnectionandbranchesintoanapp,feedinginformationto
thosewhohaveit.Youcanalsomonitorthestatusofthedispenseronline.Thisisamajor
upgradetothecommoncupboardmedication,whentheelderlymayhaveanideawhat
medicinetotake,butcanhavethechanceoftakingthewrongones.Also,thisdevice
allowsfamilymemberstobenotifiedifmedicationislow,sotheelderlywillnotmisstheir
medications.

DisadvantagesandLimitations:
Manyofthedisadvantagescanarisefromhumanerror.Whenloadingthemed
dispenser,theremaybeerrorswithfillingtheappropriatemedicationintherighttimeslot
orperhapsmixuppills.Fortheelderlywithdisabilitiessuchashearingimpairments,the
devicemaynotworkaseffectively.Therearecertainlimitationsforthisdevice.Thedevice
doesnotnecessarilyaddresstheelderlywhohavedisabilitiesthatpreventthemfromusing
thismachine.Forexample,thosewhoactuallyneedtheassistanceofadoctorwhentaking
medicinecannotusethis.Sothedispenserisnotusefulforthewholepopulationofthe
elderly.

Alternativesandtradeoffsconsidered:
Toaddressthedisadvantageofmixingpillsup,thedispensercanconnecttothe
internetandfigureoutwhatthepillshouldsay(asallpillsarelabeledwithnumbers).The
dispensercanscanthepillsandindividuallyfigureoutwhichoneshouldnotbeinthe
individualdispenserforacertainmedication.Fortheelderlywithdisabilities,therecanbe
awearabledevicelikeawatchthattheelderlycanwearthatwouldvibratewhencertain
medicationsshouldbetaken.Thiswillsolvetheproblemforthosewhohavehearing
problems.Toaddresstheproblemthatthemachinewontaddresstheissuesforevery
elderly,itneedstoberecognizedthatmachineshavelimitationsandtherecomesapoint
whentheelderlyneedstheassistanceofanactualperson.