The project brief was to investigate how digital networks can help improve people's health and well-being and design a network of smart and connected devices in response to this research.
“Picking Patterns” is a system of smart devices to help users give up a bad habit.
The system incorporates an app, a smart bracelet, a wireless charging jewellery box and RFID stickers to help monitor and prevent its user from going near the identified source of their bad habit.
If someone wants to give up a bad habit such as drinking too often, they will place Picking Patterns Stickers onto their bottles of alcohol.
They would wear a Picking Patterns Bracelet, which would sense when the user goes near the alcohol
If the user goes near the alcohol during the window of time that they’re meant to avoid it, the app sends increasingly insistent warnings to the user, with the highest level of warning being that the app forces the user to call/Facetime their Patterns Pal (sponsor).
Picking Patterns is to help people with bad habits, not addictions.
The Jewellery Box charges the Bracelet wirelessly through induction charging.
The induction coil in the Jewellery Box and the induction coil in the Bracelet transfer energy through inductive coupling.
The energy passed from the induction coil is stored in the Bracelet’s Battery. The RFID reader sends a radio wave to the RFID tag on the sticker, which then converts the signal into an electrical signal that the RFID reader receives. The RFID reader sends this information to the microprocessor. If data transmitted from the tag informs the microprocessor that the tag (and therefore the bad habit) is too close, it will activate the vibrating motor, so the bracelet will vibrate to alert the User to stop. This data will also be sent to the App so that the User can track their progress, and if needed, the App can alert the User’s Pattern’s Pal so they can intervene.
There are two designs for the bracelet; while both are fairly unisex, the black bracelet may be more marketable towards men and the gold bracelet may be more marketable towards women. The bracelets are designed to look inconspicuous in case the user is conscientious about their bad habit. If the design was too recognisable, then other people may make negative assumptions about the user. The bracelets also function as a good-looking fashion accessory. Users may want to wear their bracelets long after they’ve fully given up their bad habit as they may feel pride from making a positive life decision and sticking to it
