My Recount of
The Engineering
Challenge
Sarah Liaw
A couple months ago,
MindsUnderground hosted
an array of essay competitions
and challenges which ranged
from law to sustainability to
science. I decided to complete
the Engineering Innovation
Challenge which focused on
designing a wearable.
The submission had to demonstrate
quality research, clear explanations, and
how the solution would cater to the
needs of the wearer. This included
detailing the wearable’s purpose, target
customer, design and technologies.
For my submission, I chose an
increasingly common problem to tackle
– Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive
illness with worsening symptoms over
time. It is not the disease that is the
cause of death, but the symptoms.
Approximately 44 million people
around the world live with Alzheimer’s
or a related form of dementia; the
majority of the caregivers frequently
experience high levels of stress and
tribulation. The lack of pervasiveness in
researching cures or preventative
techniques inevitably calls for a
sustainable and comprehensive health
device to monitor the user or patient.
Hence, I came up with a simple
wearable – a necklace packed with
different, small sensors to monitor
habits such as coughing, drinking, and
swallowing. Alongside that, the user’s
pulse rate and temperature are
monitored. When abnormalities or data
outside the range is detected, a signal
will be sent for immediate attention by
a caregiver. While the illustration below
may not necessarily be the best, its
simplification delivered the ideas I had
for the design.