ARM Design Challenge 2019

TEAM ID: ADC2019220 Date: 19/8/2019

College Name: Rajalakshmi Institute of Technology

Address: Kuthambakkam (P.O), Chennai- 602 107

Team Mentor:

Name: Dr. Vankadari Nagaraju

Department, Designation: ECE, Professor

Email address: vankadarinagaraju@ritchennai.edu.in

Mobile Number: 9840873669

Team Size: 4

Team Members:
No Name Semester Department Email Address Mobile number
1 Keren Naomi Devnesh V ECE kerenaomidevnesh.2017.ece 9176219554
@ritchennai.edu.in
2. Kiran.V V ECE kiran.v.2017.ece@ritchennai. 8220226212
edu.in
3. Kiruthiga. S V ECE kiruthiga.s.2017.ece@ritchen 9498033352
nai.edu.in
4. Kiruthika. R V ECE kiruthika.r.2017.ece@ritchen 7708679038
nai.edu.in

Proposal Title: Pre-symptomatic olfactory detection of diseases

Objective:
The objective of the project is to design a device that aids users in pre-symptomatic
detection of diseases. It will function as an electronic nose, provided with the facility to
detect body odour, break it down into its constituent organic chemical compounds and
associate it with a disease. This device is specific only to diseases that usually remain
undetected until the disease has already begun progressing in the patient. Using this device,
the quality of life given to the patient and the extent of treatment available will be
increased. The device will obtain data via a chemical sensor array (CSA) and send data
through Bluetooth Low Energy (using ARM’s MBed Cordio Stack) to the user. The device will
use ARM Cortex-M Series Processors as its base, and it will be programmed in FOSS software
(OpenSDA, MBed)
Keywords: body odour, pre-symptomatic detection, diseases, ARM Cortex-M

Problem Statement:
We are working on a solution that will aid earlier diagnosis of diseases such as Parkinson’s
disease, diabetes and lung cancer. Diagnosis of the aforementioned diseases are difficult as
it can be identified and confirmed only in later stages. In the case of Parkinson’s, there are
no specific tests available. On monitoring motor functions and evaluating medical history, a
diagnosis can be made in some cases. In most cases, the disease remains undiagnosed until
deterioration of motor and neurological functions. In the case of diabetes, several diabetic
patients remain undiagnosed until they face severe health complications as a result of their
condition.
Although these diseases are incurable, early detection and diagnosis can tremendously
improve the quality of life, and the effect of the administered vaccines.
The device we are proposing effectively does this, allowing users to diagnose diseases in the
comfort of their own houses. By identifying the body odour associated with these diseases,
and breaking them down into constituent chemicals, the user will know what he/she is
suffering from and what are the necessary steps and precautions he/she must take.

Block Diagram:

Target
Material Chemical Sensor ARM Cortex-M
Array (CSA) Microprocessor

Signal Processing

Bluetooth Low
To
User Energy (BLE)
Description:
Chemical Sensor Array:
A chemical sensor array is a collection of microtransducers and ICs that work together to
identify and measure the amount of the target substance in an environment. The target
material can be volatile, organic chemicals, toxic gases. The microtransducers can be
biomolecules, optical devices, diodes or microcantilevers. The structure of the CSAs change
with the incidence of the target material with respect to mass, frequency, resistance and
other related properties.
ARM Cortex-M Processors:
The Cortex-M processor family is a series of cost and power effective devices used in a
number of applications, including IoT, industrial, healthcare and everyday use devices. This
series has an architecture that provides low-latency and a highly deterministic operation, for
deeply embedded systems.
Signal Processing:
Signal Processing and further inferences can be done by means of OS software such as
MATLAB and Octave.
Bluetooth Low Energy:
This will be used in integration with our ARM processor, to improve efficiency in terms of
connectivity.

Merits of our device:

❖ Sensitivity
❖ Selectivity
❖ Response time
❖ Size
❖ Power consumption

With regard to currently available devices, our proposed solution will be patient-friendly,
available for use to everyone, providing easier diagnoses of hard to detect diseases. It
integrates easily with technology, providing statistics and further steps for the patient to take.
It will act as a health assistant, aiding users of all ages. Currently, disease detection via smell
is possible using canines and humans; but the obvious disadvantage of this method is that the
concentration span and the efficiency of animals can vary. In the case of human smell
detectors, the efficiency of olfactory senses decreases with age.
Biomimicry is a growing field of technology, giving us room for continuous improvement. If
given an opportunity to develop our device, we will be able to benefit a number of suffering
patients who go undiagnosed for long periods of time.
Build Plan:
We would approach a stakeholder to productize our idea within the next two months, once
we complete additional research work. If selected for the next round, we will have a non-
functional demo available.