Ingestible Tracker Defecation Alert System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ingestible RFID devices cannot provide real-time notification when a host, such as an animal or human, needs to defecate, requiring caretakers to rely on guesswork and prolonged training for proper defecation habits, especially in assisted living environments.
Innovation Solution
A defecation alert system comprising an ingestible tracker with a communication circuit that wirelessly communicates with a monitor, allowing for external notification when the tracker reaches the rectum, triggering electronic accessories like cameras, door locks, and lighting systems to assist with defecation timing and location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If ingestible RFID devices are used to track location in the digestive tract, then real-time location monitoring is achieved, but the ability to provide notification about defecation needs is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The ingestible device is divided into separate functional modules: a location tracking module (RFID) and a defecation detection module (sensors for pressure, motion, and biological markers). This segmentation allows each module to specialize in its function, with the location module providing real-time position data and the detection module identifying defecation needs, thereby resolving the contradiction between location monitoring and defecation information provision.
Solution Approach 2:
The ingestible device is designed as a multi-functional system that simultaneously performs location tracking, defecation detection, and communication with external monitors. By integrating multiple functions into a single device, the system can provide both real-time location information and defecation need notifications without requiring separate devices, thus resolving the contradiction between these two capabilities.
2Device complexity
If caretakers rely on behavior habits and food consumption to determine when pets need bathroom breaks, then no additional devices are needed, but the accuracy and timeliness of detection is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The ingestible device enables the pet to self-monitor its own defecation needs through integrated sensors that detect physiological changes in the digestive tract. The device automatically communicates this information to caretakers via wireless transmission, eliminating the need for caretakers to observe and interpret behavioral cues, thereby improving detection accuracy without significantly increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates continuous feedback loops where the ingestible device monitors physiological parameters in real-time and transmits this information to external monitors. This feedback mechanism allows caretakers to receive timely notifications about defecation needs, improving the precision of detection while maintaining relatively simple system architecture through automated information flow.
3Ease of operation
If periodic scheduled visits are made to assist patients with defecation needs, then resource allocation is simplified, but the responsiveness to actual needs is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The ingestible device performs preliminary detection of defecation needs through continuous monitoring of physiological parameters in the digestive tract. By identifying needs before they manifest as urgent situations, the system enables caretakers to schedule visits proactively rather than reactively, improving responsiveness while maintaining simple operational procedures through automated advance notification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop where the ingestible device continuously monitors patient condition and communicates real-time information to caretakers. This feedback mechanism transforms periodic scheduled visits into on-demand responsive care, improving reliability of response to actual needs while keeping the system easy to operate through automated communication that eliminates complex manual monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
The defecation control system process disclosed herein includes activating a communication circuit of at least one ingestible tracker having a size and shape for travel to a rectum of a host and a transmission circuit of a monitor fixable to the host at a substantially constant distance relative to the rectum, generating at least one tracking distance based at least in part on communication between the communication circuit of the ingestible tracker and the transmission circuit of the monitor, comparing the tracking distance to a predetermined trigger distance stored in a database, and activating an electronic accessory when the tracking distance is within a predetermined threshold of the trigger distance.