Abstract Have you ever had to take prescription medicine to get over an illness? To get better, it is important to take the medication in the proper manner and at the proper time. Wouldn't it be cool if there were a tool or piece of automated equipment that held your medicine and reminded you to take it? A tool that would know when you picked up the bottle and took your medicine? Building a smart medicine cabinet is what this science project is all about!Introduction Making a new tool can be a daunting experience, but if you think about it in pieces, it becomes more manageable. For example, the medicine cabinet should contain some kind of sensor that senses when the medicine bottle has been picked up. It should have a microcontroller that monitors the "pickups," and a computer that takes input from the microcontroller and issues information and alerts. This science project can be as simple or as involved as you'd like it to be. You could simply demonstrate a sensor that registers when a medicine bottle has been placed on it. Or add to the sensor by attaching a microcontroller that interfaces with a computer. Then you could write a computer program that displays instructions to the user to remind him or her of the medication schedule. An interface would allow the user to input the medication schedule and signal to the user that it is time to take a medication. Finally, you could add LEDs (light emitting diodes) that act as indicators to the user. Regardless of how complex you decide to make this science project, the first step is to build an electrical sensor that senses when a medicine bottle has been picked up or placed on it. This sensor should be based on a voltage divider. A voltage divider is a circuit that is used to supply a voltage that is different than the available battery or power supply. Figure 1, below, shows the sensor circuit in two modes. The red squares are conductive metal pads. Figure 1.a. shows the sensor when there is no bottle in place. Here, since there is no connection between the metal pads, current moves through the two resistors (the voltage divider). Figure 1.b. shows the sensor when a bottle is in place. In this case, the bottle bridges the gap and current flow is through the metal pads and the lesser of the two resistors. If you decide to stop with building the electrical sensor, then you will need a digital multimeter to monitor the voltage change.
If you would like to extend the science project with a microcontroller board, try using the Arduino Uno, which you can purchase online from Sparkfun Electronics (sku # DEV- 09950). Make sure that you have access to a computer to do this part. Go to the Arduino website for free downloads and more information. You can also purchase basic LEDs at Sparkfun Electronics. Building a smart medicine cabinet might sound complicated, but remember, every big project can be broken down into smaller more manageable pieces! And this is a project that could certainly be a big help to you or to anyone you know who is taking medication. Bibliography
If you need clarification on electronics terminology, take a look at Science Buddies' electronics primer. The following is a link to the Introduction. At the bottom of the Introduction are links to other helpful pages.
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Computer Programmer Computers are essential tools in the modern world, handling everything from traffic control, car welding, movie animation, shipping, aircraft design, and social networking to book publishing, business management, music mixing, health care, agriculture, and online shopping. Computer programmers are the people who write the instructions that tell computers what to do. |
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Electrical & Electronics Engineer Just as a potter forms clay, or a steel worker molds molten steel, electrical and electronics engineers gather and shape electricity and use it to make products that transmit power or transmit information. Electrical and electronics engineers may specialize in one of the millions of products that make or use electricity, like cell phones, electric motors, microwaves, medical instruments, airline navigation system, or handheld games. |
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Industrial Engineer You’ve probably heard the expression “build a better mousetrap.” Industrial engineers are the people who figure out how to do things better. They find ways that are smarter, faster, safer, and easier, so that companies become more efficient, productive, and profitable, and employees have work environments that are safer and more rewarding. You might think from their name that industrial engineers just work for big manufacturing companies, but they are employed in a wide range of industries, including the service, entertainment, shipping, and healthcare fields. For example, nobody likes to wait in a long line to get on a roller coaster ride, or to get admitted to the hospital. Industrial engineers tell companies how to shorten these processes. They try to make life and products better—finding ways to do more with less is their motto. | |
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