(Rfe) Thesis

8/10/2019 (Rfe) Thesis

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(renforce) a prototype for personal wellness © 2013 Juan Pablo Patiño

(renforce)

a prototype for personal wellness

Renforce (rfe), is for people who experience chronic orthopedic pain , giving them acceand direct control of an otherwise exclusive technology and alternative therapy known aPulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF). Through open sourcing and democratizing th

project through a website with accurate and instructive documentation, the user will be abto create their own wearable PEMF device and have it controlled via an iOS application. Throuthis application people will also be able track their use of the device, and in the future be able tcontribute to the community about how to improve and customize the device based on each us



TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS i

CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION 1

StanceDesign Questions 2

Why It Matters

CHAPTER 2 : DOMAINS 4

Electromagnetic Spectrum and Biology 5

Pulsed Electromagnetic Frequency Therapy (PEMF) 6

Interface & Tech Enablers Context 7

DIY, Makers and Open Source

The Smartphone 8

Influences 10

MEDIkits

OpenMRS

Open Prosthetics Project

Domain Hierarchy Diagram 11

CHAPTER 3 : METHODOLOGY 14

Scope of Thesis 15

Approach to Experience Design

How do people use the device?

Similar systems & parallels: Sports Medicine. 16

Integrating Data Tracking using accessories on the mobile device.

User Interface 17

The Coil - Application

Materials, making the system accessible and approachable 18

Making: System Diagrams 19

Original User Interface Flowchart:

Communication: iPhone to Circuit

DAC to Arduino - Using Timers

Arduino to Gupta Circuit

Making: Iterative Decision Points

Building the Gupta Circuit

Debugging Tools

Developing the app

Manufacturing the hardware

Designing the case

3D printing choices

Circuit Adjustments

Next Design

Testing Protocols/Outcomes

Testing the Pulsed Magnetic Field

Reliability of the circuit

CHAPTER 4 : EVALUATION

Status

For the ExhibitionExpectations and Results

Full Application Development

Website

Introduction video

Prototype to Production

Learning

How easy is the project for other people?

Reactions from the Opening

Envisioning Future End States

Tightening the design.

REFERENCES

APPENDICES



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION

1.1 excerpts from “Here are the young men” (The Netherlands – Afghanistan, 2009-2010), Claire Felicie 3

CHAPTER 2 : DOMAINS

2.1 A diagram of the electromagnetic spectrum, showing various properties across the range of

frequencies and wavelengths5

2.2 This diagram shows a plane linearly polarized EMR wave propagating from left to right. The

electric field is in a vertical plane and the magnetic field in a horizontal plane.

2.3 Example of primary active transport, where energy from hydrolysis of ATP is directly coupled to

the movement of a specific substance across a membrane independent of any other species.6

2.4 openFrameworks and Arduino logos 7

2.5 Apple and Android logos 9

2.6 MEDIkits kit 10

2.7 OpenMRS logo

2.8 Founder Jonathon Kuniholm, a Marine reservist who lost part of his right arm to an IED in Iraq.

Upon returning home and receiving his first myoelectric hand, he decided there must be a bettersolution.

11

2.9 Original Domain Diagram 12

2.10 Revised Domain Diagram

CHAPTER 3 : METHODOLOGY

3.1 Original System Diagram 19

3.2 Layout of the device and how it works 20

3.3 Original User Interface Flowchart 22

3.4 Project HiJack circuit 24

3.5 RedPark Serial Cable with “Hello World” program

3.6 SoftModem Switch Science breakout board 253.7 Dual Sound Switch circuit components

3.8 DAC circuit setup 26

3.9 Chris Gupta Primary Circuit 27

3.10 Circuit shorting

3.11 (renforce) User Interface Design 29

3.12 (renforce) 3D printed and painted hardware assembly

3.13 Rhino OSX and Makerbot logos

3.14 High Wattage Resistors before placing on circuit

3.15 Replacing the resistors with lower resistance

3.16 Using lightbulbs from earlier prototype in place of failed resistors

3.17 Using Gaussmeter on first prototype

3.18 Using extremely advanced double soldering technique to remove non-functioning capacitors

APPENDICES

INSIDE PROTOTYPE _01

CHRIS GUPTA CIRCUIT PART 0NE

LOOKING INSIDE

STEPS TO SUCCESS

CGC TWO - HEAVY METAL

SUE’S PMT-10000

DAC ON PROTOSHIELD

THREE RELAYS AND AN IPHONE

PROFESSIONAL CUSTOM BOARD

MAKER 3DONE

FINAL ASSEMBLY

i





2

Design QuestionsWhat I propose as a solution to a very rigid

structure of patient-doctor problem-solution

model in healthcare, is a system that resembles

the open source movement. With the idea

of open source, information and resources

are shared among people with the idea of

transparency and community building being the

way towards future innovation[10]. At the center

of this is a technology that has been used in themedical community for years, but has not seen

popular use. Bringing this technology to a larger

audience is the rst part of my concept. In

addition to the awareness, I want to make this

technology accessible directly to people in order

for them to use and improve upon it, by either

nding effective modes of the specic treatment

or by improving on the enabling technology.

Lastly by using the ability of the smartphone

to enable people to track and make sense of

their own data, people will be able to share

more freely their experiences and results. The

key to this solution is how to make an alreadyexisting technology available and in such a way

that it educates the individual on the process,

demystify this technology and give them agency

to use it. What is the learning curve that I am

aiming for with the ease of construction and use

of this device?

(renforce) is a wearable home therapy device

based on the Pulsed Electromagnetic Field

(PEMF) therapy, an alternative therapy that uses

magnetic elds in order to optimize the body’s

natural self-healing and self-regulating functions,

including circulation and tissue repair. The device

is for people who suffer from chronic pain as a

result of a prior orthopedic injury and would like

to nd an additional option to the standard way

of treating pain through the use of prescription

drugs. Such devices for pain relief and treatment

of other physical symptoms have existed for

some time, (renforce) makes it possible to reach

a large audience by making it a modular open

source device: a hardware component that is

available as a kit or free to assemble using the

instructions that are open to use and iterate on,

and a software with a user interface that is on

a smartphone for the purpose of applying the

proper treatment and to track the pain according

to the user. The main public presence for the

device will be on the internet, where a website

will host the documentation for the device and

the mobile application will be available free to

download.

Why It MattersThe specic problem I want to address is the

one we live with and try our best to ignore,

chronic pain. Specically chronic pain as a result

of an orthopedic injury. Whether you are an

active person who has had their share of bumps

and bruises, or a seasoned professional who has

worked away at their joints through years of use,

that chronic pain has remained and not goneaway[11].According to a report from the Institute

of Medicine more than 100 million Americans

suffer from chronic pain at a cost of around

$600 billion a year in medical treatments and

lost productivity[3]. A very striking example

of the effects of physical and mental stress I

found in the work of photographer Claire Felicie

capturing the faces of Marines before, during

and after their deployment in Afghanistan for

further insight into what happens to us not only

physically but mentally over time. This pain

sticks around and how it can affect a person can

possibly have a small role in the way they viewthe world.

The treatment of chronic pain covers a wide

range of techniques and disciplines. Changes

in your daily activities, diet, and sleep patterns

are some of the least potent and non invasive

methods available. Then as pain increases

in intensity it is necessary to seek the help

of professionals by receiving acupuncture

treatment, going to the chiropractor or by using

painkillers. The most invasive technique is

surgery, one that will aim to x the source of

the pain, a slipped disk or the deterioration of

cartilage in the knee. Now the timeline for this

treatment depends on the nature of the pain

itself so people who suffer from this pain are

also encouraged to keep track of their pain, as

it rises and falls[6]. With such a great

of effort needed to be able to manag

problem, I believe that it is necessary

ability to easily manage and treat the

can be a great benet to the people

with the pain but also the healthcare

that has to decide at one point wheth

something as drastic as surgery is nee

Fig. 1.1 excerpts from “Here are the young men” (The Netherlands – Afghanistan, 2009-2010



4

A

electromagn

showing var

across the range

an

This diagram

linearly polar

propagating fro

The electric field

plane and the m

a ho

ElectromagneticSpectrum andBiologyIt begins with electricity and magnetism

and how the two are intertwined to make

electromagnetism. In biology we are more

familiar with the fact that our own body is aconstantly uctuating electromagnetic storm.

Not only in our brains through the a

our neurons, sending signals to each

but also in the basic composition of

In fact, pain is an electrical signal se

the brain from the source if the imb

or damage, in the case of tissue dam

Balance is a matter of the amount o

(+) and negative (-) ions in our cells

the surrounding environment, know

homeostasis.

CHAPTER 2:

DOMAINS





8

time job in itself. However, Apple is the exact

opposite of open-source, everyone knows that

and that also means that they have a very

tight grip on who can legally develop software

and hardware for their devices. Android is

open-source and even though putting the app

on the Google Marketplace still requires some

verication, it is much more open as to the

possibilities between the OS and the hardware.

When I spoke to my peers, for the reasons ofrapid prototyping and plain accessibility to what

lies behind the technological curtain of the

source code, Android was the overwhelming

favorite. Also, if I wasn’t interested in learning

how to write in Java, what Android is written

in, I can then use Processing and export to

Android platform. While there are b

and cons to working on either platfo

going to remain developing for iOS

it is readily available to me and once

successful developing in the one dev

it will work on all other iOS devices

Fig. 2.5 Apple and

interested in creating interactive objects or

environments[1].

Open-source software like openFrameworks

and open-source hardware like Arduino are

sometimes part components for the DIY

community. I am focusing on healthcare and

the DIY solution to a very common problem,

chronic pain. Where this pain comes from is

up for debate, but allowing people to pool

their knowledge and resources on how we can

treat ourselves makes this device much morepowerful in the long term effects it can have.

The Smartphone

Why smartphones?

The growing use of smartphones in the

healthcare eld is all made possible because

of third party applications that are developed

using the processing power inside of these

devices. This integration of the health products

using mobile platforms is a trend that is only

growing[5]. My innovation takes this trend

a step further making the smartphone a

device that has the capacity to be part of a

treatment and not just in the role of diagnosis

and data management it a device that can

help heal as well. My thesis I believe is at the

very early stages of this. In the beginning it

should be about getting the right treatment

to the person, but as sensors and feedback

mechanisms improve, it would be very

interesting to see how this affects how we can

use this device. The process of choosing the

device is described below.

iOS v Android

Apple is very well known for its closed

system when it comes to how the technology

works and how to use it. On the other hand,

Google, with the Android platform is the exact

opposite. What I would like to do is see which

of these two platforms would allow for a

more effective development in the software

and hardware needed to run the device I am

currently developing.

I’m going to look through the internet and see

what others have done with each platform,

whether or not they were single developers,

the technology they used, and the materials

that helped them in the nal implementationof the respective projects. One of the basic

ideas about my project is that individuals

will be able to either purchase a pre-made

product or have access to the documentation

to make their own, only needing to download

the application in order to launch the

device. Another is going to be availability of

information, which is going to leverage the DIY

community in order to learn and troubleshoot

with the device once it is made available to the

public.

I began talking to people who already have

taken these steps in their own work, former

Parsons Design + Technology graduates as

well as some of my fellow classmates. I paired

this with my own search through various tech

blogs that have a readership as close to the

developer community as I can nd in an hour.

With the searches, I was mostly nding the

pros and cons for developing applications for

either platform, and even though they were

saying that the nal verdict is a personal

choice, what was leaning towards iOS

development was just the fact that it is the

dominant player in the eld, mainly because

there are only a handful of iOS devices,compared to the hundreds of various Android

products that exist on the market. What this

means for developers is that they can easily

develop for iOS and know that they’re app

will run on all iOS devices, while in order to

develop for Android, quality testing is a full



10

of coded information. At its core is a concept

dictionary which stores all diagnosis, tests,

procedures, drugs and other general questions

and potential answers. OpenMRS is a client-

server application, which means it is designed

to work in an environment where many client

computers access the same information on

a server[9]. I would like for the web based

component of my project to have the ability to

store information the different ways to apply

treatment for a specic symptom and people’s

feedback on how to improve treatment with

other hardware components or new softwarefeatures for the mobile application. Considering

the scope of the project, this gathering and

sharing of information will only be possible

after a number of devices exist actively in the

eld.


The Open Prosthetics Project create

dialogue between users, designers,

to nd new ways to create prostheti

openly share these ideas so people

have access to quality prosthetics. W

as a huge promise, based on this pr

ability of individuals to eventually co

and improve upon the original desig

being able to have open access to tcode and the designs of the original

encourage people to make improvem

bring them back into the community

it even more effective a treatment a

make it more available to people.

Founder Jonatho

Marine reservis

of his right ar

Iraq. Upon return

receiving his fi

hand, he decid

be a b

InuencesThe are currently several projects that have

elements I think are important to include

into my own concept. The core components

that I will be incorporating from them are an

affordable hardware kit, the ability to take data

and share it amongst others and then improve

upon that with future hardware and software

developments.

MEDIkits

MEDIKits is an educational kit that is also

fully function for Drug Delivery, Lateral-Flow

Diagnostics, Lab-on-Chip, Vital Signs, and

Agricultural Prosthetics. Originally developed byJose Gomez-Marquez, director of the Director

of the IIH (Innovations in International Health)

Lab at MIT, and head of MIT’s Little Devices

group, dedicated to design, invention, and

policy toward DIY health technologies makes

these modular medical tools to third world

countries at a cost of fty dollars[13]. What

makes this project important to me is that it

is a teaching tool as well as a fully functioning

device. Most of the people that I will encounter

as potential users of (renforce) are probably not

aware or not fully familiar with PEMF therapy.

In order to make sure that I indeed help

people, and not injure them, I need to make

sure the device is understandable in the way

it is designed, how it is assembled and how to

use it properly for treatment. Also, affordability

is a very important concern, and choosingparts that are available and not extremely

expensive are a factor I need to consider.

OpenMRS

Open Medical Record System (OpenMRS®)was created in 2004 as a open source

medical record system platform for developing

countries. OpenMRS is based on the principle

that information should be stored in a way

which makes it easy to summarize and analyze,

i.e., minimal use of free text and maximum use

Fig. 2.6 Left: MEDIkits kit Fig. 2.7 Right: OpenMRS logo



12

(renforce)

Disciplines

(most focused / related to your thesis)

hacking

D.I.Y

open source

pain management (health)

mobile app development

learning toolshuman computer interaction

product design

iOS

smartpho

Arduino

physical comp

web

quantified s

MEDIKits


lapka

square

Instructables

User Interface / Te

Influencers

Domain Hierarchy Diagrams

Data VisualizationKinesiology

Biomechanics

Biology

Microbiology

Microscopy

Biofeedback

Physical Computing

Hacking

3D Printing

Product Design

Arduino

Programming

openFrameworks

iOS / Objective-C

Mobile Application Hardware

Therapeutical Apparatus

Do It Yourself (D.I.Y.)

Open Source Movement

Open Source Healthcare

Electromagnetic Spectrum

Mobile Devices

PEMF Therapy

Fig. 2.9 Original Domain Diagram Fig. 2.10 Revised Do





16

is experiencing on a particular part of the

body, then it is up to the user to input this

data. How do you record and track pain?

Pain management is a branch of medicine

employing an interdisciplinary approach

for easing the suffering and improving the

quality of life of those living with pain. The

typical pain management team includes

medical practitioners, clinical psychologists,

physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurse

practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists.

The team may also include other mental-health specialists and massage therapists.

Pain sometimes resolves promptly once the

underlying trauma or pathology has healed,

and is treated by one practitioner, with

drugs such as analgesics and (occasionally)

anxiolytics. Effective management of chronic

(long-term) pain, however, frequently requires

the coordinated efforts of the management

team.

(renforce) will require that users make

distinctions and learn how to read their own

body and decide how it feels, and long that

data into the the application. Currently this

exists in the app in the form of asking the

user to check the body part and assign it a

comfort level. If the comfort level is at 10,

then it is experiencing little pain and if it is at

1, then the user is experience more pain or

discomfort. This is going to be the way we can

test different settings of the device and see if

patterns emerge either for the individual user

or for the community using the devices as a

whole.

User Interface

The primary interface for people to interact

with the device is found in the iOS application

built in openFrameworks (oF), an open-source

C++ creative coding toolkit. The user interface

is built around the idea of sessions. Every

session is every time you use the de

body part, record the data, and use

duration of the session. The purpose

application is to explain the process

the device and also how to track the

Since this is similar to using an EMS

then once the information and settin

been gathered, the user can just sit

wait until the session is complete. S

interface needs to be easy to start a

to guide you through the process. I

that upon opening the application thsee past sessions that they have don

there are none then they would be

start a new session. Within each ste

session the user is guided by text an

to choose an area of the body that t

treating, the intensity of the magnet

they will use, the pulse speed of the

eld, and how long they would like

device for. That combined with the

on the comfort level of the body pa

and after the session will make up t

the session. As the user adds more

then it will be possible to show the

in their usage, and what seems to b

and what does not.

The Coil - Application

The use of an electromagnetic coil i

to PEMF therapy because without so

to gather and harness the power com

through the wires, then it is dicult

more powerful magnetic elds out o

circuit. Now the intensity of the el

the only factor in making an effectiv

device because there are studies tha

shown the effectiveness of both ver

and strong elds. For the purposes o

a prototype that could be easily rep

by others meant sticking to a design

very basic. Creating an electromagn

requires knowledge of the material

by a practitioner. However as the condition

of the individual improves then some of the

therapy moves to the home and individuals

are given a treatment protocol to follow until

their healing has improved to a certain point

where the health care physician or person in

charge of their care decides whether or not

they should continue treatment. In terms of

who delivers the treatment for (renforce), then

it should remain that the individual should be

in charge of that. If the person is immobile,

then they should seek out a doctor. (renforce)is a device intended to be used for people with

chronic orthopedic pain, but not pain that is

not allowing the person to function at all.

Similar systems & parallels:Sports Medicine.

Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) is used

in sports medicine to work and stimulate

atrophied muscles after they have been

immobilized to allow for damaged tissue

to heal and regenerate itself. EMS is the

elicitation of muscle contraction using electricimpulses. The impulses are generated by a

device and delivered through electrodes on

the skin in direct proximity to the muscles to

be stimulated. The impulses mimic the action

potential coming from the central nervous

system, causing the muscles to contract. The

electrodes are generally pads that adhere

to the skin. In medicine, EMS is used for

rehabilitation purposes, for instance in physical

therapy in the prevention of disuse muscle

atrophy which can occur for example after

musculoskeletal injuries, such as damage to

bones, joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons.This is distinct from transcutaneous electrical

nerve stimulation (TENS), in which an electric

current is used for pain therapy.

Most people are familiar with the patient

who has recently removed a cast from one of

their legs. The result is having one leg that

is visibly smaller, with less bone density and

muscle mass than the other leg. One would

use EMS in order to rehabilitate the muscle

and gradually build up its strength until other

therapies like strength training with weights or

exercise bands can be used. I see (renforce)

as being a treatment that would work very

similarly to EMS for use at a clinic or at home.

You can set yourself up in the proper position,

set the device to what feels comfortable to

you, and use it for the session duration.

Integrating Data Tracking usingaccessories on the mobiledevice.

Data tracking has become a very important

part of everyday experience. Our lives have

become quantied to a degree that is far

beyond our own knowledge. Sometimes

without even knowing it, you are contributing

to your own digital identity through your

purchases, your social media outlets, and

even your location. This had lead to the idea

of the quantied self. The Quantied Self is

a movement to incorporate technology into

data acquisition on aspects of a person’s daily

life in terms of inputs (e.g. food consumed,

quality of surrounding air), states (e.g. mood,

arousal, blood oxygen levels), and performance

(mental and physical). Such self-monitoring

and self-sensing, which combines wearable

sensors (EEG, ECG, video, etc.) and wearable

computing, is also known as lifelogging or

sousveillance. Other names for using self-

tracking data to improve daily functioning are

“self-tracking”, “auto-analytics”, “body hacking”

and “self-quantifying”.

The difference between (rfe) and other “self-

tracking” is that it is not passive, but relies

on the user’s input to data analysis. Since

there are no sensors on the device that can

determine the comfort or discomfort a person



18

Fig. 3.1 Original Sy

of the metal, how much of it you will need,

and how the wire will wrap around a specic

area and become the coil. One of the rst

designs provided step by step instructions on

how to make a coil using solid copper wire

and the reel of an old VHS tape. This was

actually very easy to follow, but could still be

alot of work with someone who isn’t familiar

with using large amounts of wire. The next

best thing was by using an already existing

coil. Audio components like speakers generate

sound by using voltages on a coil, and havingmechanical sound waves generated by the

movement of the coil. It is actually very easy

to buy these coils separate from the rest

of the speaker. They come in varying wire

thicknesses and are already rated to generate

different eld strengths, measured in Henries

or magnetic inductance.

So with a coil to work with I had to design a

housing for it so people can use it easily with

each PEMF session. The coil itself is big and

bulky, so trying to design a handle around it

would be more of a problem since I have to

consider the sizes of people’s hands as well as

where they might use the device. Most of the

magnetic pulser I found over the internet went

with using the coil as the head of a wand,

similar to a shower handle, and that’s what I

decided to do for the rst iteration.

The different ways that people can use the coil

for application range from person to person.

Some of the constants I want to focus on are

the use of the coil on the major joints of the

arm and leg, and then up the spine to the

neck. This would mean in most cases the

user is seated for the duration of the session,

placing the coil on or over the body part. Also,

that the person was able to use the productwithout interference from the area of the body

that was causing them discomfort.

Materials, making the systemaccessible and approachable

When I begin thinking about the actual look of

the product, I looked rst directly to what my

original prototype looked like. Big bulky light

bulbs in a black plastic case connected to a

coil wrapped in black electrical tape looks very

cool to a design student who wants to keep a

certain DIY, mad scientist aesthetic but doesn’t

have the same appeal to a larger audience.

I decided to design the case and the coil to

be sleeker and smoother so that it would be

more like owing waves of magnetic pulsesversus jolts of magnetic shocks, which is what

I felt the rst prototype had. Taking away that

intimidation is very important, especially for

people that don’t know about PEMF or are just

hesitant to try out new technologies.

Making:System Diagrams



20

iPhone

Audio Signal

High Voltage

Low Voltage

Other

Pulsing Circuit

AC 125V

Arduino Circuit

AC to DC subcircuit

Capacitors

Transistor

Coil

Relays Med MedLowHigh HighSpeedDAC

Arduino Leonardo9V power supply

Fig. 3.2 Layout of the device an





24

discrete frequency changes of a carrier wave.

The most common form of FSK is listening to a

fax machine or a dial up modem. It is suitable

for a small amount of data communication like

switch inputs and sensor information. Setting

up the hardware was easy after receiving it

in the mail. In most cases, you want to solder

the audio jack on the board. The au

included in this kit but not pre-solde

you may need a pin header or a pin

to this board. But neither pin heade

socket is included, so you have to p

yourself. Afterwards, actually using t

with an app on the iOS device is mu

trouble. The documentation comes

Japanese website and the translated

available from Sparkfun goes with s

instructions but troubleshooting is ju

round of going through internet forueither someone had no problems se

their device or they had all the prob

their question never got answered, I

column B.

Joel Murphy DAC

After working with the other options

to Joel Murphy, a faculty member in

department. He had a schematic for

that would take audio signals and co

Fig. 3.6 SoftModem Switch Science breakout board

Fig. 3.7 Dual Sound Switch circu

Communicationbetween iPhone toCircuitConnecting the iPhone to an external hardware

accessory is a tricky business because Apple

does close its doors on people who want to

mess around with their products. Luckily,

people nd a way out of that by their owningenuity. Originally looking at the 30-pin

dock connector to use in my prototypes, that

was quickly phased out when the Lightning

connector was introduced. So now I went back

to looking for another solution and found one

that is much more promising, the 3.5mm audio

jack.

Project HiJack:

Hijacking power and bandwidth from the

mobile phone’s audio interface. Creating a

cubic-inch peripheral sensor ecosystem for the

mobile phone.

HiJack is a hardware/software platform for

creating cubic-inch sensor peripherals for the

mobile phone. HiJack devices harvest power

and use bandwidth from the mobile phone’s

headset interface. The HiJack platform enables

a new class of small and cheap phone-centric

sensor peripherals that support plug-and-

play operation. HiJack has been tested with

the iPhone 3G/3GS/4G, iPod Touch, and iPad

devices.

The source code and schematics are available

on Google Code: http://code.google.com/p/

hijack-main/

RedPark

One of the ways I would like to have the

device controlled is through a serial connection

to an Arduino. I was able to get a Redpark

serial cable from the Maker Shed and got the

Hello World app running. Let’s just call this the

rst photo in a series I’d like to call, “1 million

steps to Thesis”.

Switch Science

With this board, data communication between

Arduino and iPhone is possible by taking audio

signals and converting them in data through a

method called Frequency-shift Keying (FSK).

FSK is a frequency modulation scheme in

which digital information is transmitted through

Fig. 3.4 Project HiJack circuit

Fig. 3.5 RedPark Serial Cable with “Hello World” program



26

make sure it works. I spent my winter break

recreating the circuit, and I had to learn the

hard way. Trying to recreate the circuit and

just getting parts that are rated the same just

don’t work. After the rst two circuits failed

to produce a pulse, I contacted Gupta and

Heydon, an electronics hobbyist who also

documented his recreation of the Gupta circuit.

Their rst recommendation was to recreate the

circuit exactly. After I ordered some new parts

and made a brand new circuit, I nally had a

working pulser.

Debugging Tools

The rst thing that Joel Murphy, my physical

computing teacher told me after he looked

over the Gupta circuit was, “Okay, so put the

parts together and get some gloves. Now whenyou plug this thing in put it over here, and

then when you turn it on, stand over there.”

And I learned the hard way. I was shocked a

total of 4 times throughout my time working

on this project. Thinking about the people

that would in the future try and rec

device and use it in their own home

how many of them will get shocked

if the follow the documentation step

there is still that possibility. Going ba

circuit, using rubber insulated gloves

important. Not only for checking co

on circuitsm but also if I needed to

components like light bulbs were wo

could just hold the wires together an

wires into the wall and I would be c

safe. Using gloves also was helpful w

Fig. 3.9 Chris Gupta

Fig. 3.10

into digital ons and offs on the arduino.

Setting up the circuit was very easy and

straightforward, and then testing it using my

guitar tuner app made it very easy to see that

the audio was coming out of both the left andright channels.

DAC to Arduino - Using Timers

Arduinos have a great way of checking input

from pins without slowing down your code.

They have 3 built in timers that run really

fast, 16 MHz. With that speed I was able to

take the frequencies I was sending with the

app and cut it into quarter steps. That meant

I could send it a signal as low as 2 Hz, then

send it a 2.25 Hz signal and it would be able

to see it as two completely different values. Inthe latest iteration, I have the app sending up

to 6 different signals all within a 2 Hz range,

which is very good to know because I will be

able to expand the commands I can give to

the arduino, doubling that if I decide to send

signals over the two audio channels.

Arduino to Gupta Circuit - Introto Gupta Circuit

The main circuit which would generate the

magnetic pulse was a circuit that I found duringmy initial search for precedents in the internet.

An engineer by the name of Chris Gupta, who

like Dr. Havas has been an advocate for EMF

regulation in Canada, rst published a design

for a low cost magnetic pulser on his website

in 2009. After nding the schematic and

consulting it with some engineers, it was an

immediate candidate for recreation.

Making: Iterative

Decision PointsBuilding the Gupta Circuit

The rst key point to working with any

physical computing project is that before you

modify, you need to recreate the original and

Fig. 3.8 DAC circuit setup







32

Fig. 3.16 Opposite Page: Using lightbulbs from earlier prototype in place of failed resistors

Fig. 3.17 Above: Using Gaussmeter on first prototype

Fig. 3.18 Below: Using extremely advanced double soldering technique to remove non-functioning capacitors

Testing ProtocolsTesting the circuit

Magnetic elds are actually very hard to record

and measure without specialized equipment.

So I bought I gaussmeter. Magnetic eld

strength is measured in Gauss but since

the eld is in three dimensional space then

it is more dicult measure. By using the

gaussmeter I recorded the intensity of the eldat the center top of the coil. I set up the coil

to exert a magnetic pulse pointing towards the

body when used. I would get readings of up

to 200 gauss which is twice the strength of an

iron magnet.

Reliability of the circuit

One of the other components I’m going to

have to solve for in future iterations are the

capacitors. The rectifying circuit that converts

AC to DC current uses a capacitor that can be

replaced easily, but the main capacitor bank

requires high voltage output and in the original

circuit you need photoash capacitors. Those

same capacitors can be bought on electronicswebsites or on ebay. There are many different

ratings and getting the right size for the power

needs of this circuit requires that the user

try and get the closest replacements. The

are some reliable sources, but so long as the

minimum power rating from the capacitors of

900 uF is reached the circuit will work. Mouser

electronics carries capacitors that rate at least

300uF, so that instead of the default 6 you can

have just 3 capacitors.

f th th ill b bl t



34

StatusI have a prototype that is made out of open

source hardware and digitally fabricated

materials. It connects to the iPhone, where it

then receives directions from the user on the

intensity, frequency, and duration of a series of

magnetic pulses. After this, the user can assess

how the area of the body that receives these

pulses feels. This data is then stored on the

smartphone where the user can refer back to it

and see the changes on the body part and its

condition over time.

For the Exhibition

For the show I wanted to have not only the

prototype but also a website and video to talk

about the project. This would be how people

rst learn about the project and maybe even

PEMF therapy. Aside from that was also anoth-

er very important part that would educate and

empower future users. That is the documen-

tation that is needed for the use of the device.

What are the intensities and how do you know

what is the right one? How do you determine

the pulse speed? At the time of the writing,

this is still a largely unanswered question.

What I can use to begin building a framework

and start to answer this is by actually using the

parallels in EMS therapy and my conversations

with health professionals who use PEMF devic-

es and see how I can tailor it to my device.

demo app works while the full edged app in

still in progress

Full Application Development

Also the app that exists now is a single view

app. You can select a body part, set an

intensity and speed of the pulse and determine

how long the session can be. With the

integration of (rfe) sessions in the next iteration

of the app, the user will be able to

the app as a method of data trackin

management for effectively by analy

they have done and seeing a direct

treatment and whether it is beneti

not.

Website

The main platform where (renforce)

exist is a website that educates the

on PEMF therapy, where it comes frhow it is used, and will encourage t

participate in the project and build t

PEMF device either using my bluepr

on their own.

Introduction video

I also would like to develop a projec

The medium of lm is very effectiv

presenting an idea and its compone

a short time span, and if it is well d

entertaining as well. I could also use

to attract potential collaborators now

have a working nished prototype. I

you can call it building the brand of

Prototype to Production

This project is as much another meth

self quantization as it is an experimen

that there is a prototype I need to pu

rigors of user testing, both from a scie

an interaction design perspective. I w

to seek the advice and guidance of e

engineers and scientists as well, in ord

the circuit easier and more ecient to

the novice electronics enthusiast. Comscience labs and spaces like Genspace

Brooklyn allow for this type of collabo

Hopefully with the help of people in p

these, because they are all over the c

(rfe) can be developed using the sam

protocols that scientists use in their ow

CHAPTER 4:

EVALUATION



1 Arduino N D Retrieved December 17th 2012 from Arduino: http://arduino cc/en/



1. Arduino. N.D. Retrieved December 17th, 2012 from Arduino: http://arduino.cc/en/

2. Blue Cross Blue Shield,

Medical Policy Search: Electrical Stimulation of the Spine

as an Adjunct to Spinal Fusion Procedures, N.D. Retrieved December 17th, 2012

from Blue Cross Blue Shield:

http://www.bcbsms.com/index.php/

index.php?id=200&action=viewPolicy&path=%2Fpolicy%2Femed%2F

Electrical+Stimulation+of+the+Spine+as+an+Adjunct+to+Spinal+Fusion+Procedures.htm

&source=emed

3. Committee on Advancing Pain Research, Care, and Education. Relieving Pain in Am

A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research. June 2011

4. Kuznetsov, S., Paulos E. Rise of the Expert Amateur:

DIY Projects, Communities, and Cultures in NordiCHI 2010:

Extending boundaries, (Reykjavik, Iceland, 2010), Human-Computer Interaction Insti

Carnegie Mellon, 10.

5. Laird, S. How Smartphones Are Changing Health Care, Sep 26, 2012.

Retrieved December 17th, 2012 from Mashable:

http://mashable.com/2012/09/26/smartphones-health-care-infographic/

6. Martin, L. Slideshow: Chronic Pain Causes and Solutions, April 04, 2012.

Retrieved December 17th, 2012 from WebMD Slideshow:

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/ss/chronic-pain-causes-solutions

7. Meyers, B. PEMF Device Reviews, 2011.

Retrieved December 17th, 2012 from pemft.net:

http://www.pemft.net/pemf-reviews-new.html8. openFrameworks. N.D.

Retrieved December 17th, 2012 from openFrameworks:

http://www.openframeworks.cc/

9. OpenMRS. About OpenMRS, N.D.

Retrieved December 17th, 2012 from OpenMRS:

http://openmrs.org/

10. Opensource.com, About open health, N.D.

Retrieved December 17th, 2012 from opensource.com:

http://opensource.com/health/about-open-health

11. Pain Management Health Center. Pain Types and Classications, N.D.

Retrieved December 17, 2012, from WebMD:

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12. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Air Facts No. 4,

Sick Building Syndrome, February 1991.

13. Wiltz, C. DIY Medical Devices Aren’t Toying Around, March 16, 2012. Retrieved Dece

17th, 2012 from Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry: http://www.mddionline.com

devicetalk/diy-medical-devices-arent-toying-around























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