HTD_device

Proposal

Abstract:

Anyone who has seen Michael J. Fox on television has witnessed directly what a hand tremor is. Formally defined, a tremor is an involuntary movement or shaking of any body part. As Biomedical Engineers, we wish to develop a device that detects tremors of the hand, which, physiologically, are normal for human beings and can be categorized into voluntary or involuntary movements. Hand tremors can be transformed from mechanical vibration to electrical signal via a piezoelectric transducer. Normal tremors for a human are in the frequency range of 9 to 25 Hz. A notorious disease that is easily detected by decrease in normal hand tremor frequency is Parkinson’s disease. Through the development of a hand tremor detection device, we may be able to non-invasively determine whether or not a patient has Parkinson’s, or any other related disease. Hand tremors can be prevalent at any age, but are especially common in the elderly population.

Purpose:

The purpose of our project is to acquaint lower-division undergraduate students who wish to pursue Biomedical Engineering with a senior-level project they will be expected to complete in the future. In doing so, they will be able to see the application of biology and electrical engineering to modern-day clinical settings. Through mentorship, we feel that we can confer our collective experiences and knowledgebase as soon-to-be graduates in a rigorous, academically challenging area of study.

Motivation:

We chose this project because, as part of a predominantly Hispanic institution with many low-income students, there is a need to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the academic attainment of such students. In addition, it is imperative to expand and enhance the academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability of colleges and universities that are educating the majority of Hispanic college students and helping large numbers of Hispanic students and other low-income individuals complete postsecondary degrees.

As part of the Biomedical Engineering curriculum, students must be able to develop and implement a viable medical device. The Hand Tremor Detector project is proving to be an enriching experience thus far, and we would like to share it with lower division students who plan on pursuing the major.

Background:

The final project will include a PowerPoint presentation and physical model of the hand tremor detection device. A formal paper will also be presented.

Anticipated Result's:

The project will be submitted in the form of a PowerPoint presentation. A formal paper will be included in the presentation in order to illustrate background information about the device (i.e. what it can help determine in a clinical environment) as well as how the device functions, with focus on operating parameters and electronic methodology.