Hi im looking to design a communication device for the elderly and sickly using arduino. The idea is to notify the person in care their basic needs such as food, medicine or any emergency. And i want to notify them through their handphones. I would like to also add more features such as LCD, temperature sensor, and heartbeat sensor to the device. Is it possible? What arduino should be suitable for this project and can i use the GSM shield to notify the person in care through their handphones?thank you in advance..
If this will involve wearable sensors, you might find the Lillipad Arduino interesting.
thank you..i will look into it..how about the GPRS/GSM shield?is it possible to notify the person in care through their handphones using this?and are there any previous projects that relate to mine?
Instead of using an Arduino, have you tried simply giving the elderly little bells or a megaphone?
They might get a kick out of the megaphones,especially the nurses! LOL XD
lol..thank you..i think i'd better stick with my earlier plan?anyways any other ideas except bells and megaphones?
ARD Nano, Mini/pro, Lilipad. They should all work.
can i use the GSM shield to notify the person in care through their handphones?
That I don't know, i've never had or worked with one before. Aren't the GSM shields kinda bulky, how do you plan on making the elderly use them? Are they going to be on them like a necklace / bracelet or mounted to their beds?
thank you..lol yea they are bulky..i guess it would be mounted to their beds..still in the early stages of my project..haven't really decided on anything yet..are there any alternatives besides using the GSM shield?
To be honest, i'm not sure. like I said, I never had to work with one before, so I never needed to know if there were smaller designs. Have you tried to search for things simular to a GSM?
Maybe one else may know.
still searching..thank you very much anyways 
Something to think about..
I saw another project (can't remember where now) where an object would either email or send you a text message when used. Imagine a coffee pot that sends you an email every morning. If placed in the elderly persons house, it signals that they are ok and have gotten up. No email or txt message signals a possible problem.
While I like this idea as the person does not have to wear a bulky device, the problem is deciding what does that person do every day to trigger a message. Other triggers might be opening the fridge door or flushing the toilet.
While I like this idea as the person does not have to wear a bulky device, the problem is deciding what does that person do every day to trigger a message. Other triggers might be opening the fridge door or flushing the toilet.
push buttons, contact switches, pressure pads. the clapper / snapper.
pick one.
yeah thats the basic idea..to notify the person in care..im planning to use push buttons..but yeah not really sure on the possibilities of the GSM shield..