This DIY Solution Gets a Child's Attention Through a Vibrating Wristband
Wrist-mounted wearable buzzes under the control of Google Assistant, an Adafruit Trinket M0, and a Tile device.
Getting your child’s attention is a challenge for any parent. In the case of Rebecca, who was born with Usher Syndrome and is currently unable to hear pending replacement of her cochlear implants, audible interaction is particularly ineffective. The good news is that she should have her sense of hearing back in a few weeks, but until that time her parents made her a vibrating “pager” that is mounted to her wrist inside of a sweatband and controlled with voice commands.
The assistive device is based on an Adafruit Trinket M0, along with a DRV2605 motor driver soldered directly to it. This is used to activate an off-center vibrating motor to get her attention. In order to turn the wearable on to say “hello,” or whatever else, her parents activate it from a Google Home. This is set up to interface with a Tile Bluetooth module paired to the Trinket, which passes this “ping” on to the M0.
It’s a neat hack, and one that these parents think will be useful well after her hearing is restored. After all, cochlear implants do have limitations in some situations, and what parents wouldn’t want an extra way to call their children? As seen in the video, she definitely responds to this signal. As she enthusiastically puts it, “It wiggles, and than I look for mom and daddy!”
