505: Wearable Fashion Technology

We were tasked with making a device to help search and rescue teams in situations where buildings have collapsed. We created a head-up display (HUD) that goes into a helmet. The display shows valuable information like the user’s pulse, blood oxygen levels and harmful gases nearby. The helmet has extra components to ensure the user is safe in these tragic scenarios. We made sure all the electronic parts fit inside the helmet’s frame but didn’t compromise the user’s comfort. These parts include a liquid-crystal display (LCD) screen on the brim, reflected onto the visor with a reflective patch to show the user their information. Other parts include a pulse oxygen sensor, lithium-ion battery, speaker for team alerts and a Teensyduino microcontroller. To make sure everything fit perfectly, we designed and 3-D printed the helmet ourselves. This gave us more control over component placement.

We had specific goals throughout the process. First, we wanted our device to work during long missions. Following our sponsor’s specifications, we made our device work for 72 hours intermittently (about 3 days) and 18 hours without stopping. We determined device power needs and chose a suitable lithium-ion battery. This way, we would not need to fix it as often, and it could be used continuously.

In addition to our device, we made a system of gas sensors mounted to the user’s body to warn about potentially dangerous gases in the area. Multiple sensors detect gases at different heights. Data is sent back to the HUD, where the status displays and rescuers in a building collapse scenario could easily know if there was a threat to their safety.