Needs: A large population on earth still does not have access to clean drinking water.
Objective: Develop a device that can process water and analyze its composition based on a controlled sample so that people are aware of the general pollutants in the water.
Background: Over 3.5 million people die every year due to a lack of clean drinking water. This is more common in third world countries, however, there was a recent water crisis in Flint, Michigan, USA, as well. Twelve Americans died and dozens more got sick from exposure to high levels of lead from the local water supply system. We want to create a device that will detect all harmful objects in the water so that no more lives are at risk.
Methodology: A water analyzer sensor would collect data from a sample of the water. The sample would be processed and uploaded to an IoT system. The data would be compared against a controlled sample and then transmitted back to the user's phone. The information would be displayed about the characteristics of the water and its safety in a readable format. The data will be captured with the location in a larger database so that the locations of polluted water can be tracked.
Expected Results: People will use this system to monitor water at various locations within their houses as well as in remote locations to determine if the water is safe for consumption. This can help to improve the overall health of people.
Costs: The expected cost of the device is low as the parts we plan to use can be bought inexpensively. Below we have written an itemized list of all the parts we will be using:
Raspberry Pi Pico: $4
Addition of LAN: $2 - $5
Total Dissolved Solids Sensor: $10 - $12
Miscellaneous (Wires, Solder, etc.): $5
Total: ~$26