1. GPS-enabled inhaler to support real-time mapping of asthma exacerbations
Team:
Michael Alexander, Samantha Bergh,
Mollie Lange and Peter Ma
BME 301
March 2007

2. Department of Biomedical Engineering
Client
David Van Sickle, Ph.D. Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholar Department of Population Health Sciences
Advisor
Ken Gentry
Department of Biomedical Engineering

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University of Wisconsin - Madison Biomedical Engineering Design Courses
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4. Content Contents Problem Statement Background Motivation
Design Constraints
Proposed Designs
Design Matrix
Future Work

5. Problem Statement Time, date, location of inhaler use
Development of a web-based mapping and analytic system (future semesters).

6. Background
Asthma
A chronic respiratory disease in which the airways are blocked or narrowed due to allergy or inflammation.
~ 20 million Americans affected by this disease.

7. Background GPS First developed for the military.
Widely used in communication, recreation and safety.
Uses signal transmission time to triangulate its position

8. Motivation Tracking of allergy and asthma symptoms Outbreak control
General health observations with respect to populations in certain areas
Surveillance limited to the delayed analysis of hospitalizations for severe episodes
Currently no product on the market

9. Design Constraints Must meet FDA standards for use
Secure attachment for peripherals
Subject to normal wear and tear
Can be battery powered
Wireless
Accurate

10. Design 1: Pressure Detection with GPS Separate
Pressure sensor mounted on inhaler
Microcontroller contacts cell phone, which retrieves GPS coordinates
Cell phone formats data and sends to central computer

11. Pros & Cons Portable No major modification to inhaler
No need to buy separate GPS
Difficult to set pressure threshold perfectly
Relies on cell phone, which is easily forgotten, to collect data

12. Design 2: Contact Detection with GPS Separate
Circuit completes when inhaler depresses
Microcontroller contacts cell phone to get coordinates
Cell phone formats data and sends to central computer

13. Pros & Cons Reduces false positives Still very portable
No need to buy separate GPS
Major modification to inhaler
Again relies on cell phone to collect data

14. Design 3: Contact Detection with GPS attached
Circuit completes when inhaler depresses
Onboard GPS retrieves date, time, location and stores in CPU memory
Microcontroller attempts to connect to cell phone and sends the information via Bluetooth
Cell phone formats coordinates and transmits

15. Pros & Cons Few false positives GPS directly attached
Temporarily stores data just in case
Larger to accommodate GPS and Bluetooth
Increased cost, decreased battery life

16. Design Matrix Criterion (Weight) Design 1 Design 2 Design 3
Patient Safety (3) 5 4
Accuracy (3) 3
Low Cost (3) 2
Data Backup (2)
Feasibility (2)
Ease of use (2)
Connectivity (2)
Portability (1)
Battery Life (1)
Aesthetics (1)
TOTAL 72 76 81

17. Future Work Creation of an inhaler Sending of data Mapping
Establish research protocol
Patenting
Applying for funding

18. References Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology
How Stuff Works: GPS
MDILog™, DoserCT™, and SmartMist™
Product Specifications