Objectives
Portability
Traditionally, trauma-induced coagulopathy testing could only be done using large machines in hospitals. However, our sponsor Aptitude Medical's proprietary blood chip allows for trauma-induced coagulopathy testing in a small package. TRAC needs to be portable in order to use this technology to its full capability.
Ease of Use
To increase effectiveness in the field, TRAC needs to be usable by non-medical personnel. It must have an intuitive interface and the testing procedure needs to be simple.
Temperature Control
Aptitude's blood chip technology works optimally at a specific operating temperature. Due to the portable nature of this device and the wide range of ambient temperatures it can be used in, TRAC must have the capability to heat or cool the blood chip to achieve the most accurate test results.
System Overview
TRAC is built around ST's STM32F4 series chip. We chose this chip due to its low power draw, fast boot times, and robust touchscreen compatibility, including an on-board hardware accelerator. A touchscreen is used to start testing, display results, and interact with the system in an intuitive manner. Aptitude Medical's proprietary blood chip provides analysis on the patient's condition, which we interface with through a potentiostat. In order to maintain optimal testing conditions, we use a Peltier Module to regulate the temperature of the blood chip. We combine the Peltier with an H-bridge in order to heat or cool the device depending on our needs. A LiPo battery allows TRAC to be taken anywhere in the field, regardless of power availability.
