I am in sixth grade and we are working with Arduino. I have to write a medical thesis on the use of pressure bandages for burns. Applying the right amount of pressure to a burn reduces the risk of thick scarring. My question is: should I use Arduino to measure the pressure of the pressure bandage? And what do I need to measure this?
Could somebody help me with this?
In real life, the pressure applied by medical bandages is measured with specialized devices such as pneumatic sensors, thin fluid- or air-filled bladders, or flexible medical pressure transducers placed between the bandage and the skin. These spread the force evenly over soft tissue and provide accurate, calibrated readings of pressure. Challenge : they don’t come cheap, Medical pressure transducers (disposable, higher-accuracy) cost tens to hundreds of dollars..
For your project, it would be difficult and unsafe to try medical measurements directly on burns.
A safe approach is to simulate the idea.
You could use an Arduino with a pressure sensor (for example, a force-sensitive resistor, often called an FSR) to measure how much force is applied when you wrap a bandage around something like a water bottle, foam, or a piece of fruit.
An FSR will work much better if you place it on a firmer surface or add a small stiff pad (like a thin piece of plastic) between the soft surfaces (skin and bandage) and the sensor. That way the force is transferred more evenly and you get more reliable measurements).
An alternative would be to place a small balloon filled with water (simulate the body) connected to a water pressure sensor.
This way you can demonstrate the concept of measuring pressure without doing real medical experiments.
➜ don’t test on people, only simulate. Your teacher will be more interested in your explanation of how pressure can be measured and why it matters than in doing real medical testing.
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Thank you for this helpful information. I'll present this to the teacher and see if he finds this explanation sufficient. If I need any further information, could you please help?