SPARC

SPARC (Smart Paralysis Assistance through Responsive Communication) is an open-source assistive technology platform designed for people who are non-verbal and immobile. By detecting intentional blinks using IR sensors, SPARC enables users to communicate basic needs, emergencies, and messages via a TFT display and WiFi-connected notification system. This is our submission for the IEEE SSCS 2025 Arduino Competition.

The complete system integrates:

• SPARC-Device (ESP32-based blink detection and TFT user interface)
• SPARC-GUI (Python desktop application for configuration and monitoring)
• SPARC-Notify (Android app for caretakers to receive instant notifications)

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System Architecture

1. SPARC Device (ESP32)))

• Blink Detection: IR sensors detect user blinks, which are interpreted as navigation/selection commands.
• TFT Display Interface: Users navigate a grid (T9-style, icons, and emojis) using blinks to select messages (e.g., Emergency, Help, Food, Restroom).
• WiFi Communication: Device connects to WiFi and communicates with a proxy server (notif-server) to send notifications.
• Settings Management: Blink duration/gap, WiFi credentials, and UserID are configurable and saved in EEPROM.
• Emoji & Text Messaging: Quickly send pre-defined text or emoji messages to caretakers.

2. SPARC-GUI (Python)

• Final Vision GUI: Desktop application mirroring the device's T9 grid, allowing configuration of blink settings.
• Accessibility: Real-time visualization, text display, customizable parameters and Text-to-Speech (TTS) for optimal user experience.

3. SPARC-Notify (Android/Kotlin)

• Caretaker Notifications: Receives categorized, high-priority alerts (Emergency, Help, Food, Restroom) from patients.
• Patient Code Subscription: Caretakers subscribe to 5-character patient codes and select notification types to receive.
• Emergency Alerts: Dedicated notification channel with unique sound, vibration, and lock-screen visibility for emergencies.
• Local Preferences: Notification filters and codes are saved locally for privacy and reliability.

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Communication Flow

1. User blinks to navigate/select a need or emergency message on the TFT display.
2. Device sends a notification over WiFi to a proxy server (notif-server).
3. Caregiver’s phone (running SPARC-Notify) receives the alert instantly, with priority and filtering.

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Features

• Assistive Communication: Enables immobile/non-verbal users to communicate basic needs and emergencies.
• Customizable Sensitivity: Blink detection parameters (duration/gap/sensitivity) and WiFi settings are user-tunable.
• Multi-modal Output: TFT display shows text and emojis; notifications sent to mobile devices.
• Secure & Private: No personal data transmitted; only non-identifying patient codes used.
• Caregiver Integration: Real-time, filtered, high-priority notifications for efficient response.

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Hardware Requirements

• ESP32 – Main microcontroller, handles all processing and connectivity.

• TFT Display – For GUI navigation and message selection.

• IR Sensor – Detects user blinks, mounted on spectacles.

• Spectacle Frame – Holds the IR sensor for eye-level blink detection.

• Buzzer – Triggers emergency alarms when needed.

• Red LED – Indicates emergency mode status.

• Blink LED – Blinks on every detected eye blink.

• DFPlayer MP3 Module with SD Card – Stores and plays audio files for message feedback.

• Speaker – Outputs audio from DFPlayer.

• Push Button – Used to manually turn off emergency mode.

• Resistor – Pull-up resistor for stable push button input.

• Power Supply: Standard USB or battery power

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Software Requirements

• SPARC-DEVICE: C++/C Arduino firmware (in SPARC-DEVICE/)
• SPARC-GUI: Python 3.x, PyQt5, pyttsx3
• SPARC-Notify: Android app (Kotlin), Firebase Cloud Messaging
• notif-server: Proxy server for message routing (setup instructions forthcoming)

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Getting Started

Device Setup

1. Hardware assembly: Connect IR sensor and TFT display to ESP32/Arduino.
2. Flash firmware: Use Arduino IDE to upload the code from SPARC-DEVICE/.
3. Configure WiFi & Blink Settings: Set SSID, password, blink duration/gap via TFT or SPARC-GUI.

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Repository Structure

• SPARC-DEVICE/ : Arduino firmware, blink detection, TFT logic, WiFi comms.
  • include/emoji/ : Emoji arrays for TFT.
  • include/common_variables.h : Shared variables (WiFi, blink settings).
  • src/settings/ : Settings and EEPROM logic.
• SPARC-GUI/ : Python desktop GUI.
• SPARC-Notify/ : Android app for notifications.

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License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

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Team Members

• Praful Kumar Singh
• Gorang Singh
• Aaradhya Bhardwaj