CPE 322

Automated Tic Tracker (ATT)

Objective (Why):

The objective of our project is to develop a device which is able to track a user's motor tics and log them, providing data about them to help users better understand their possible triggers or patterns.

Background (Who? where?)

This device is meant for users who experience specific motor tics. Tics are non-voluntary actions that can be caused by a variety of different conditions, including Tourette's Syndrome, OCD, and Chronic Tic Disorder. While many tics can be small things like twitches or making a repetitive sound, our project specifically is looking at larger motions, such as a sudden neck jerk.

Methodology (how? When): 

Our product would be attached near the location where the tic is most common. The user would wear this over most of the day to get an accurate reading, necessitating our product to be small and non-intrusive in the user's daily life. Initially, tics would need to be recorded manually by the user. Eventually, we would hope that manually recorded data would train a program to distinguish automatically between the user's tics and other actions.

Expected Results (What?): 

The device would be able to provide the user with data and statistics to help better understand their tics. For instance, by logging when their tics occur and how frequently it may provide insight into possible triggers that would have otherwise been glossed over or ignored. Alternatively, it could be used by doctors or therapists to better understand the state of their patient's condition, comparing the frequency from week to week, as a higher frequency of tics can often be caused by increased stress.

Costs (how much will it cost?):  

Our product should cost less than $50 to prototype. At its core, our product requires an accelerometer, a Bluetooth transmitter, a microcontroller, a battery, and something to secure it to the user. Our microcontroller should be as lightweight as possible, so we will do most of the processing of the data on a phone or other external device via Bluetooth transmitter. To design and code the device would cost $36/hr.