Abstract
What started out as two distinct concepts, instead connected over an inherent nature to ease the burden and give autonomy back to those who feel despair and hopelessness. This underlying string inspired both my technical project and STS thesis.
In my technical project, I explored a physical prototype aimed at improving accessibility. With this aim in mind, my group set out to build a glasses add-on to control smart devices using simple hand gestures. Our project can be split into two components: embedded systems and software. On the embedded systems side, we deployed two Raspberry Pi Zero 2Ws for the camera and display respectively. These two microcontrollers communicated with the central controller. The central controller is in charge of performing the majority of the compute effort. The central controller received frames from the camera and transmitted messages over WiFi. The pipeline starts by differentiating between smart devices using nearest-neighbors algorithm to smart device image centroids on the image embeddings. After detecting a smart device, the user executes a hand gesture to confirm the device. At this point, the communication information for the device is pre-loaded along with the gesture mapping. After this, hand gestures in the view of the camera are mapped and communicated for execution. During this process, the central controller is also providing messages on the display for the user.
With all of this in mind, we aimed to create a user-friendly product. For this reason, we implemented an interface deployed from the central controller to add in new devices. The intuitive interface allows for users of all skill levels to add in their own household smart devices providing additional autonomy and customizability back to the users. Currently, the interface supports communicating over HTTPS and Bluetooth. The user simply needs to put in device information such as MAC address and include photos of the device from different angles. The functionality of communicating with the device is abstracted and standardized. All of this sparked a combined interest in exploring the result of major events on the advancement and evolving field of work. I explored how external events can guide the accessibility and scope of practice by first responders.
Through my STS thesis, I explored a case study of how the development of Emergency Medical Service protocols amongst first responders post 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina shaped the response efforts. I began by exploring the state of EMS protocols before the major events to set the context. After this, I researched the outcome of each case study on specific changes within protocol across the nation. I also mapped how response efforts after 9/11 worked and failed at Hurricane Katrina. Through analysis of second-hand interviews, government documents and compiled articles, I learned how the dynamic nature of the events exposed cracks in organization, communication and preparation. Even with the advancements and changes made after 9/11, Hurricane demonstrated the need for a more flexible structure with more clearly defined plans properly communicated in advance. I believe that we need to better streamline the first responder protocols with pivot plans.
The technical project focuses on caring for other individuals. On the flip side, the STS thesis focuses on the people who care for others, specifically medical first responders.
