Radial pulses are used in a variety of healthcare applications, including being used to calibrate wearable healthcare devices such as smart watches. As such, a system to replicate human pulses quickly and cost effectively is needed to calibrate these devices. This research project focuses on designing a solenoid system that can replicate a variety of human age-dependent radial pulses. The proposed system generates waveforms using two solenoid valves, a pressure reservoir, and a pressure sensor. By sending pressure through the input solenoid valve, and releasing it through the output valve, a pressure waveform can be generated to match normalized human pulses. Because the solenoid valves are controlled by a code, the only adjustment needed for different pulses to be generated is different values in the code fed to the valves. This allows for easy replication of a variety of pulse shapes. The main research question was “how can we improve current pulse modeling systems?” This is important as the current options either lack flexibility or are too complex for many would-be users to use effectively. The results of this research include multiple generated waveforms that match in-vivo waveforms within 7% of root mean squared error. This indicates that the system is well equipped to generate any waveform a human body might produce, allowing it to be a simple way to calibrate a device for a variety of people. This research project has been extremely relevant to my intended career in mechanical engineering. An emphasis on bettering human healthcare goes hand in hand with a humanitarian engineering minor, and as such this research has been useful as I look into jobs within the healthcare sphere after graduation.
Author(s): Simon DeBruin
Advisor(s): Jeong-Hoi Koo, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
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