Bio Electronic Dot
Budget: $25 – $50 AUD
BE Dot project
Stimulating muscles with the use of electrical signals generated by artificial means is not very new to us. In the year 1780, an Italian physicist and biologist discovered that the muscles of a dead frog can be stimulated using electricity. This marked the beginning of a new branch of biology, called the BE bioelectronics.
EMS machines are typically portable with a 5V or 9V supply. Very small currents run from the main unit to a set of pads. The frequency of the current and pulse duration can be adjusted by the EMS unit. They have electrodes that come in pairs of two, four or six, that are in the form of pads. These pads contain adhesive gels that help it retain the position where it is placed. These electrodes pass the impulse generated by the EMS unit, with the help of wire. Any change in the frequency changes the kind of muscle fiber that the machine targets. There are three kinds of muscle fibres and each of them gets stimulated at a specific kind of frequency. Note that it is not possible to produce all the three frequencies at once.
TENS is short for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, which is a machine that uses an electrical impulse to treat pain and spasm. The machine looks similar to the EMS machine, but has a completely different role. Relief is provided by TENS machine in the following two ways:
At Sensory Level: The electrical signals generated by the machine interferes with the pain signals and hence blocks the sensory neurons thereby reducing the sense of pain.
At Motor Level: This stimulation technique causes the body to release chemicals that suppress pain sensation.
The major difference between the functioning of the two is the frequency at which they work. While EMS machine works in the frequency range of 50 Hertz to 20 Hertz, TENS machine works on frequencies, either above or below this range.
Project
Build a BE bioelectronic separate power supply:
• Battery operated
• USB Changeable
• Load sensing (phase2)
• Remote activate (phase2)
• Provides a Constants voltage / current source for each BE dot
• High voltage power source generated by the power supply (phase1), however look for option (preferred) to have a DC-DC stepped up at each BE dot (phase2).
Controller circuit:
• Use of Bluetooth or other short range remote control to the BE Dots (phase2)
• Through a programable interface individually control each BE Dot independently 1-10 phase1 (up to 1000 phase2) BE Dots
• Multichannel scalable approach
• Simultaneous and independent control of each BE Dot.
• Control each BE dot (1-150hz Frequency) (20-100v Intensity – 0-120ma) (100-300uS Pulse duration) (1-10sec Overall Duration)
• Controller should use one control wire and earth if possible (phase1)
Build a miniature BE Dot (as small as possible) circuit board
• A BE Dot will provide a controllable stimulation (modulating) frequency between (1-150 Hz) and low current intensity set between 0-120 mA at 40-100v. The pulse duration needs to be short between (100uS and 300uS). The overall duration is the length of time typically (1-10 seconds)
• Each board is single channel. Has a ground and active output.
• Each board needs to have electrical isolation between each board active output.
• Connect probes to board via solder connection on the board.
• aiming for a small in the future - 10mm square perfect board size (Phase2)
• Board gets power from 2 (3 wire if remote control wire required) wire cable to power supply
• If possible next generation product should be Bluetooth or wifi controllable.
Stimulating muscles with the use of electrical signals generated by artificial means is not very new to us. In the year 1780, an Italian physicist and biologist discovered that the muscles of a dead frog can be stimulated using electricity. This marked the beginning of a new branch of biology, called the BE bioelectronics.
EMS machines are typically portable with a 5V or 9V supply. Very small currents run from the main unit to a set of pads. The frequency of the current and pulse duration can be adjusted by the EMS unit. They have electrodes that come in pairs of two, four or six, that are in the form of pads. These pads contain adhesive gels that help it retain the position where it is placed. These electrodes pass the impulse generated by the EMS unit, with the help of wire. Any change in the frequency changes the kind of muscle fiber that the machine targets. There are three kinds of muscle fibres and each of them gets stimulated at a specific kind of frequency. Note that it is not possible to produce all the three frequencies at once.
TENS is short for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, which is a machine that uses an electrical impulse to treat pain and spasm. The machine looks similar to the EMS machine, but has a completely different role. Relief is provided by TENS machine in the following two ways:
At Sensory Level: The electrical signals generated by the machine interferes with the pain signals and hence blocks the sensory neurons thereby reducing the sense of pain.
At Motor Level: This stimulation technique causes the body to release chemicals that suppress pain sensation.
The major difference between the functioning of the two is the frequency at which they work. While EMS machine works in the frequency range of 50 Hertz to 20 Hertz, TENS machine works on frequencies, either above or below this range.
Project
Build a BE bioelectronic separate power supply:
• Battery operated
• USB Changeable
• Load sensing (phase2)
• Remote activate (phase2)
• Provides a Constants voltage / current source for each BE dot
• High voltage power source generated by the power supply (phase1), however look for option (preferred) to have a DC-DC stepped up at each BE dot (phase2).
Controller circuit:
• Use of Bluetooth or other short range remote control to the BE Dots (phase2)
• Through a programable interface individually control each BE Dot independently 1-10 phase1 (up to 1000 phase2) BE Dots
• Multichannel scalable approach
• Simultaneous and independent control of each BE Dot.
• Control each BE dot (1-150hz Frequency) (20-100v Intensity – 0-120ma) (100-300uS Pulse duration) (1-10sec Overall Duration)
• Controller should use one control wire and earth if possible (phase1)
Build a miniature BE Dot (as small as possible) circuit board
• A BE Dot will provide a controllable stimulation (modulating) frequency between (1-150 Hz) and low current intensity set between 0-120 mA at 40-100v. The pulse duration needs to be short between (100uS and 300uS). The overall duration is the length of time typically (1-10 seconds)
• Each board is single channel. Has a ground and active output.
• Each board needs to have electrical isolation between each board active output.
• Connect probes to board via solder connection on the board.
• aiming for a small in the future - 10mm square perfect board size (Phase2)
• Board gets power from 2 (3 wire if remote control wire required) wire cable to power supply
• If possible next generation product should be Bluetooth or wifi controllable.