Week 1

 This week I have learned so much 


On the first day, we had a lot of material to cover. A lot of it was an introduction to how computers can  “see” like in self driving cars and virtual reality. Another thing we covered was the use of technology to help  underserved populations. It also gave me an idea of what I want my project to be about. We also started some of the projects in the Arduino kits, which is interesting cause I haven’t used this type of technology before.  I know a lot of people use them for robotics and other projects like that. When I first used it, I was afraid of messing with pins and breaking things, but the more I used it, the more comfortable I got.


On the second day I mostly explored the projects on my Arduino kit. Though it is still fairly new to me, following the sample projects that were in there, made it very easy to understand. Those lessons also build upon each other and it helps you gain a lot of knowledge in a short amount time. Another tool we were taught to use is Easy EDA, which helps you build and format custom PCBs for any project you are creating. It wasn’t too difficult to use but I was kind of behind while adapting to this new resource. We also got a tour of the OEDK, which is a collaborative and open space for a lot of engineering students to work on their projects. It seemed very rich in  creativity as well as accessibility to a lot of interesting tools like a laser cutter for wood and 3-D printers.


On the third day, we worked on our tiny watch circuits, which seems like a closer step in the right direction for what our projects are going to be. I mostly had difficulty in getting the Bluetooth to work and setting up the pedometer but in the end I got it to run just fine. We also got a rundown of a bit of python and how that can be utilized in our projects. 


Lastly, the fourth day felt more lecture heavy as we got to learn about how the brain is studied and how we can use that information for implementing devices that can connect to our minds. There was also examples of how certain experiments are run using animal testing. It reminded me a little bit of the nervous system section of my Biology II class. I also got to present what I did this week as well on this day, which was good because he gave me practice for presentation and speaking. This will prepare us for when we do the final poster.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week Three - Lorelei

Image
     Week three was the busiest week for me and my partner. We were only able to finish some of the things we wanted to do for out final project. The interface and demonstration of how it will look like is perfect in my opinion. We especially designed this application for kids since they are in the highest risk of not being able to recognize pre-asthma attacks. We tried and we are going to keep on trying to make this as accessible as possible to lower-income families, making use of electronics available to them and just a little more additionally to make the machine work: the TinyWatch. Cheaper compared to the products out in the market, and small too that will be perfect for a child's wrist.      I am extremely happy about being able to make the code for playing custom videos on the tiny watch screen. Our instructor, Dr. Young, told me that was never explored and done before. It might have taken me three hours to do but it was definitely worth it.  ...
Read more

Week 1 - Ayaan

Image
Before the start of the Digital Health Young Scholars Program, I prepared by learning the basic syntax and concepts behind C++, a language that I found somewhat natural to me due to its similarity to JavaScript. I also did some preparation by looking into the basic functions of Arduino, such as "blink" amongst others which helped me have a basic understanding of how it worked and what I features I could implement on an Arduino Board. I feel that the research projects that have been assigned have been extremely interactive and educational, starting with the fundamentals of Arduino and C/C++, and moving up to more complex stuff. This pattern allowed me and others to better understand how such systems work and build cognizance about the idea that there is always more to do with technology. Pivoting to thoughts about my mentors, I feel that they have provided helpful in-depth explanations for complex topics, as well as support in the projects which we built. For Week 2, I hope to...
Read more

Week 2 - Anthony

Image
    Today, we completed the second week of the Digital Health Young Scholars Program. This week was not the best in terms of progress for me, because I feel really behind and worried whether I can complete the final project in time and to a high standard.     So far, the research project has been quite confusing, overwhelming, yet fun. It is confusing, because I don't know what constraints I am working under. Do I have access to other sensors aside from the ones provided? Am I allowed to create a whole other watch case for the project? This confusion led to me feeling overwhelmed with the task at hand, because I want to succeed and go above and beyond for this project. I want to test myself and have a good impact on the health world. This combined with how little I completed made me worried and somewhat stressed. However, the ability for me to tinker and work with electronics and code to tackle a modern issue excites me. I already have so many ideas on how I can use ...
Read more