IV Buddy
Introduction and Motivation
An Automated IV stand
Our automated IV stand is a semester project which is able to follow the patient under its own power while carrying IV bags, avoid obstacles on its path and have an automatic lift system.
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Motivation of this project stems from our personal experience in hospitals. Currently, most IV stands in hospitals are consisted of a very basic structure that has no ability to adjust the height of IV bags, and a completely passive motion system that requires a patient to physically drag it around. While simplicity is often a benefit, it also results in great inconvenience for patients who are suffering from physical illnesses. Therefore, we believe that an IV stand with some automation and other added capabilities such as an automatic lift system and self-drive power will make the device much easier to use for both patients and staff.
Basic Design
The stand rests on a six-wheel base for better stability and range of motion
Three powered wheels to conserve battery and simplify movement
Swerve drive controls steering, and a linear actuator drives the lifting system.
A webcam placed on the top of the IV stand identifies AR tags and thus follows the patient.
System switches between passive and active modes based on tag visibility.
Camera data transmits to micro-controller by serial connection to laptop.
