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General Design Requirements and Ergonomic Considerations
General Design Requirements and Ergonomic Considerations
Teams must design and build a wearable device that can monitor the respiration rate of an infant. The device must be:
capable of displaying respiration rate (i.e., breaths per minute) in a way that is intuitive for parents, childcare providers, and health care professionals to understand.
suitable for use on an infant (i.e., would not cause discomfort or injury to an infant).
easily placed on and removed from an infant.
adjustable to allow appropriate fit on different sizes of infants.
able to stay in place and continue monitoring respiration during normal infant movements like squirming, rolling, and being lifted by a caregiver.
durable, reusable, and aesthetically pleasing.
Technical Requirements
Technical Requirements
The final design of the wearable device must meet certain technical requirements. The device must:
use hardware (e.g., sensors, microprocessor, etc.) to sense chest movements in an infant.
There are no restrictions or specific requirements for the type of hardware that can be used. Teams can use hardware included in the starter kit provided by Maryland MESA (e.g., Circuit Playground Express microprocessor) and/or source other hardware.
use software (i.e., code) written by the team.
There are no restrictions or specific requirements for the programming language. Teams can write code using the programming language of their choice.
output respiration rate on a display device (e.g., laptop, tablet, phone) located at least 27 inches (70cm) from the infant.
There are no restrictions or specific requirements for the way the information is presented on the display device. Number or respirations or respiration rate could be represented by a single number, could be indicated on a graph, or could be shown some other way. It does need to be clear to the user how to determine the respiration rate.
be capable of being powered by battery. Users must be able to easily change or charge batteries.
Materials Requirements
Materials Requirements
When selecting materials for this project, teams should consider that the device is designed to be placed on an infant and to be used by parents, childcare providers, and medical professionals. The device:
must be made of materials that are appropriate for use on an infant’s body.
There are no restrictions or specific materials requirements. However, materials used in the device should not have the potential to cause discomfort or injury to an infant. Teams are not required to use and are not limited to the materials in the starter kit provided by Maryland MESA.
must cost no more than $50 to build.
Materials provided by Maryland MESA do not count toward the $50 spending limit. Likewise, the price of the display device does not count toward the $50 spending limit. All materials used should be recorded on an itemized budget sheet. For more information, please see the Expense Report Guidelines later in this document.
Design Bonus
Design Bonus
Teams will receive bonus points for devices that:
successfully transmit respiration data to the data display device (i.e., laptop or other device) wirelessly; and/or
are exceptionally well designed and executed, show a high level of engineering prowess, and/or demonstrate excellent consideration of human factors (i.e., ergonomics).
Testing and Demonstrating the Device
Testing and Demonstrating the Device
Each MESA club has been provided with a NeoNatalie manikin. The chest of the infant-sized manikin moves in a way that mimics respiration. This makes it the ideal testing device for prototypes developed for this challenge. The team should use a NeoNatalie manikin to test and demonstrate their prototype. However, if a team does not have access to a NeoNatalie manikin, they can use another object to test and demonstrate their prototype. A simple, low-cost test device can be created using items typically found in many homes. For instance, a football, balloon, or baby doll could be used to represent an infant’s chest. Finger or hand movements could be used to simulate chest movements. The testing device does not need to be complicated. It simply needs to be able to help the team develop and demonstrate a device that fits on an infant’s chest and senses the motion of the chest.
The type of device used to test and demonstrate the prototype will not have an impact on scoring. In other words, the team will not be penalized if they do not have access to a NeoNatalie manikin and must create their own test device.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SAFETY:
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SAFETY:
All testing should be conducted on NeoNatalie manikins or on other testing devices.
All testing should be conducted on NeoNatalie manikins or on other testing devices.
No testing should be conducted on humans or animals.
No testing should be conducted on humans or animals.
Calculating the Accuracy Score
Calculating the Accuracy Score
The team must calculate an Accuracy Score to indicate how close the respiration rate determined when using the team’s device is to the actual observed respiration rate.
The Accuracy Score is calculated using the following formula:
Accuracy Score = |actual observed rate – reported rate|
In other words, the Accuracy Score is calculated by taking the absolute value of how far the team’s reported respiration rate is from the actual observed rate.
Judging
Judging
During this project, the team will focus on designing a device that can be used to monitor and accurately report the respiration rate of an infant. The team will calculate and submit an Accuracy Score to indicate how accurately their devices report respiration rate compared to the actual observed respiration rate. Because each competing team will demonstrate their device in a different environment with different equipment (e.g., testing devices), and because judges will not be present, it is not possible to ensure that the Accuracy Scores submitted by teams are correct. Therefore, the Accuracy Score will not be used to rank entries in the competition. Instead, a video-recorded presentation and electronic display board about each team’s design process and final solution will be used to score projects.
Projects will be scored in the following categories:
Video-Recorded Presentation and Demonstration (video submission) 130 points
Electronic Display Board (.pptx file submission) 70 points
Design of Device 50 points
If a design/device does not perform as well as the team would like, the team is still encouraged to submit a video-recorded presentation and electronic display board. The presentation and display board can showcase the process the team used to develop a solution, even if the device does not work properly.
Please refer to the guidelines below and the scoring sheets at the end of this document for details about judging criteria.
Tie-Breakers:
Tie-Breakers:
Ties will be broken via the use of the highest score on the following:
Device Design Score
Video-Recorded Presentation Score
Electronic Display Board Score
Presentation with Demonstration Requirements
Presentation with Demonstration Requirements
(video submission)
(video submission)
The team must deliver a video-recorded presentation that describes their design process and the final solution they developed. The presentation, including demonstration, can be a maximum of 10 minutes in duration. Teams should use appropriate visual aids to support the presentation. Creativity is encouraged. The team must address the following during the presentation:
Introduction of Team Members/Description of Roles
Background Information
What background research did the team do related to the topic of the challenge?
What did the team have to know to be successful at building an effective device?
Did you contact experts and/or potential users? If so, whom did you contact? What did you learn?
Design and Development Process
How did the team go about designing a device to monitor and report respiration rate? Describe the team’s design process.
How did the team test the design?
What improvements or changes did the team make to the design during the development process? In other words, describe iterations of the design.
What obstacles did the team face while working on this project? How did the team overcome those obstacles?
Description of Design
What are the key elements of the final design? In other words, describe the final design.
Does the team’s final solution meet all design requirements and constraints?
The video must clearly show that the device meets the requirements.
How does the hardware, circuitry, sensors, and code used in the design work to together to monitor and report respiration?
How did human factors/ergonomics considerations impact the design (e.g., materials, design of device, fastening methods, aesthetics, etc.)
Demonstration
Describe and demonstrate how the device is used.
(Hint: Think about how you would teach a parent or caregiver to use the device.)
Demonstrate how an adult would place the device on an infant.
Describe and demonstrate how the parent, childcare provider, or health care professional knows the respiration rate based on the output.
Evaluation of Effectiveness of the Solution
How well does the team’s solution work, overall?
How accurately does the device report respiration rate?
The video must show how the team calculated the Accuracy Score.
Note: While the actual Accuracy Score will not be factored in scoring, the team must show that they accurately calculated the Accuracy Score using data from testing.
What part(s) of the solution works well?
What could have worked better?
Lessons Learned/Next Steps
What did the team learn while working on this project?
What would be the next steps for the project? How could the team’s solution be improved (i.e., what would the team do with more time/resources)?
Video-Recorded Presentation Submission Instructions:
Upload video to YouTube as an unlisted video.
Create a document containing the school name, team member names, MESA School Coordinator name(s), and a link to the video on YouTube.
Make sure the file name contains the school name and the words “Wearable Tech Presentation.”
Submit the document via the MD MESA website no later than 11:59 pm on the specified due date.
Late submissions: If the file is received after the deadline, 10 points will be deducted from the score. Files received more than 48 hours after the deadline will not be scored.
Electronic Display Board Requirements
Electronic Display Board Requirements
(.pptx file submission)
(.pptx file submission)
The team must create an electronic display board in PowerPoint. The size of the virtual display must be 48” x 36” (W x H). All information should be contained on one single slide that has been resized to 48” x 36” (W x H). The electronic display board is an important element that as a stand-alone product should help an observer quickly understand the problem, the solution, and next steps of the project. As a visual aid during the presentation, the electronic display board can be a powerful tool providing important graphics and highlights of the solution. The electronic display board must include the following:
School Name
Names of Team Members and Their Roles
Include all team members and their primary contributions to the project.
Name(s) of MESA School Coordinator(s) and Advisor(s)
Name of the device
Description of the Purpose of the Device
Description of Key Features of the Device
Include information that will allow an observer to quickly understand the design of the device and how the device is used to monitor respiration.
Images and/or Diagrams of the Device
Include labeled images and/or graphics that show key parts of the design (e.g., fasteners, sensors, display device, etc.)
Include pictures and/or screenshots of information on the display device.
Testing Data
Include pictures of the device being tested.
Include data from testing the device.
Design Iterations
Include information about how testing led to improvements in the design (i.e., iterations).
Code
Excerpts from the code should be included on the display board. Selected code should increase an observer’s knowledge of how the device monitors and displays respiration rate. It may be beneficial to add labels and/descriptions to help clarify the purpose of the selected code.
Cost information
Include an expense report. See the Expense Report Guidelines later in this document.
Next Steps
Include information about how the team’s solution could be improved (i.e., what would the team do with more time/resources)?
Bibliography
Include a list of sources for any third-party information used for the project.
MESA Logo
Include the JHU/APL MD MESA logo, no smaller than 3” x 3”.
Electronic Display Board Submission Instructions:
Complete display board layout in PowerPoint.
Make sure the .pptx file name contains the school name and the words “Wearable Tech Display.”
Submit the .pptx file via the MESA website no later than 11:59 pm on the specified due date.
Late submissions: If the file is received after the deadline, 10 points will be deducted from the score. Files received more than 48 hours after the deadline will not be scored.
Expense Report Guidelines
Expense Report Guidelines
(included on electronic display board)
(included on electronic display board)
An itemized expense report must be provided for all components and materials used in the construction of the device. The expense report must be included on the electronic display board.
The expense report must include a list of every part (or materials used to construct the part) of the device and the corresponding unit dimensions, retail price, price per unit, quantity used, total cost, and retail source.
All parts received through barter, trade, donation, recycling, etc. must be included in the itemized expense report. Reasonable estimated retail prices for these items must be determined through product research (online or in-person).
The total cost will be based only on the actual materials used in the construction of the device. Teams will need to calculate the cost per unit and use this figure to calculate the total cost of the item. For example, a 1.75 mm x 240 m long roll of ABS Filament SmartReel (for 3-D printing) costs $39.99. This breaks down to $0.167 per meter (i.e., $39.99/240m). If a team uses 50 meters, the cost would be $8.33 (i.e., 50 x $0.167).
The value of the display device does not need to be included in the expense report and does not count toward the $50 maximum expense limit.
Costs should be calculated using pre-tax prices. Shipping and handling charges should not be included in the cost calculations.
Note regarding materials provided by Maryland MESA: The expense report must include all components of the device including materials provided by Maryland MESA. However, the value of materials provided by Maryland MESA should not be counted toward the maximum expense limit. Materials provided by Maryland MESA should be listed in the expense report with a cost of “n/a”. This includes materials provided by Maryland MESA for other challenges (e.g., NEDC).
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