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Data Logging for Go Baby Go
Customizing Toy Cars for Kids with Limited Mobility
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Welcome

This video introduces our senior project “Data Logging for Go Baby Go.”

Background

Independent mobility is important, especially for young children. It aids in developing not only motor skills, but also cognitive, language, and social skills. However, children with limited mobility often experience delays in these areas. To address this issue, Dr. Cole Galloway founded Go Baby Go in 2012. Go Baby Go (GBG) is a community-based research and design project that focuses on affording children with limited mobility a means to engage in their everyday activities like their peers without physical limitations. 

Go Baby Go

The program provides and budget friendly solution to combat the issues associated with limited mobility. This solution involves supplying the children with Modified Ride-On Cars. (MROCs). MROCs are customized electric toy cars that are altered to accommodate the specific needs of individual children. With the implementation of the modifications totaling a cost of less than $500, MROCs are an ideal alternative to purchasing expensive motorized chairs that many families can not afford. GBG aims to provide additional opportunities for early skill development, and the vehicles allow the children to gain independence and the ability to socialize with others more easily. 

History

In 2019 Christian Brothers University (CBU) partnered with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) to design and build Modified Ride-On Cars (MROCs) for children ages 18 months to two years. Christian Brothers University provides work from both the mechanical and electrical engineering departments, and each year, as a Senior Project, students make additional modifications to the vehicle. The previous electrical modifications centered around safety. The task involved reducing the acceleration and deceleration rates and the maximum speed of an MROC prototype with minimal modifications to the existing system by modifying the current circuitry.

“Participating in the Go Baby Go project allows us to learn in an inter-professional setting while helping to improve the quality of life of many young children. We support the mission of facilitating improved access to engagement in everyday activities as we work in collaboration with their families and individuals in other professions to remove barriers for children with disabilities in our community. Through this initiative, we provide opportunities for early, independent mobility, socialization, and overall skill development for children with challenges in these areas. We want to bring more awareness to this cause and encourage others to join and follow us on our project journey.”

-Dr. Stephanie Lancaster, EdD, OTR/L, ATP, CDP, CAPS 

Pre-Modified Circuit

“The pre-modified circuit (PMC) consists of two 6-VDC (Volt Direct Current) batteries, a controller, two motors, and the related sensors/switches that the controller uses to drive the ride-on car. The controller acts as the hub receiving signals then sends out commands to components to take a specific action. The batteries are wired in series so that 12-VDC supplies power to all systems. When the accelerator pedal is depressed, a switch is closed, changing the voltage to the controller. Once the controller detects this signal change, it sends a signal to create a voltage differential across the motors of 12-VDC. The voltage output of the controller will depend on the voltage of the battery. Table 1 depicts the direction of motor rotation based on the motor controller output” (Whatley, 2020, pp. 228-236).

Whatley, Steve A et al. Go Baby Go – UTHSC and CBU. IESTOC, [S.l.], v. 18, n. 1, p. pp. 228-236, May 2020. Available at: <http://iestoc.org/index.php/conference/article/view/60>. Date accessed: 14 Feb. 2021.

Current Goal

The image to the right depicts the modified circuit of the prototype MROC. This year’s electrical project consists of an expansion on that customization. The goal is to implement a device to document the children’s interaction with the vehicle. That device is a data logger. This blog will follow the different processes, designs, and simulations of three data logging devices.

Flow Chart

The image depicts a flow chart that describes the functionality of the modified circuit.

What is a Data Logger?

Before we get into the blog, it is essential to discuss a data logger for those who may not be familiar with the device. A data logger is an electrical device that accepts analog and digital inputs from sensors to monitor and record changes in conditions, or variables, over time. Utilizing a microprocessor, internal memory data storage, and a long-lasting 3-volt coin-cell battery, data loggers are potential devices that take data collecting to the next level.

Why use a Data Logger?

Measuring continuously fluctuating data is a difficult task and requires extreme accuracy. Frequently, data is recorded by hand. However, this documentation method is subject to human error, bias; thus, resulting in an inaccurate recording. Utilizing data loggers are beneficial because they limit the amount of time and resources needed to manually document continuous information. Data loggers also have a sampling rate that can be adjusted to a frequency as high as 200kHz or as low as 24 hours. Data can be automatically collected as often as needed with a data logger.

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