DOPPLER ULTRASOUND TRAINING DEVICE
BACKGROUND
The goal of this project was to develop a device that could teach medical professionals how to properly perform an ultrasound (US) procedure and diagnose the resulting waveform.
Existing devices to train students did not take into account US technique, but simply had an artificial US probe and a mannequin with similar body landmarks to the human body and, as soon as the chip was detected, an artificial Doppler waveform showed up on an artificial computer screen – no training of technique regarding pressure and angle of transducer was actually taught.
Patent for device was received January 2015.
SOLUTION
Team designed a black box device that can mimic normal and diseased blood flow patterns in any area of the human body such that a real US device could be used, and the resulting Doppler waveform used for diagnosis.
Furthermore, we developed a proof-of-concept Android app that could be used to control the system remotely such that the instructor could simulate different conditions from a distance and see how the student diagnoses it. An additional feature of the app was its ability to take a picture of a unique waveform and have the system replicate that blood flow pattern. In other words, if an instructor came across a rare case in the clinic that they wanted their students to be able to practice diagnosing, they could take a picture of it and have the system output that blood flow pattern during the instructional session.
MY ROLE
I worked on the mechatronics portion of this device. This included device instrumentation with sensors, control of internal pumps and valves, board design, Bluetooth communication, and microcontroller programming
Additionally, I developed the first proof-of-concept Android app that had pre-sets for different conditions to control the device remotely.
Lastly, I performed significant research and testing to find a fluid with similar US properties to blood such that resulting waveforms look real.