Internet of Medical Things: Empowering Mobility and Health Monitoring with a Smart Walking Stick

This paper presents the design of low-cost Smart Walking Sticks that aims to provide a comprehensive set of features to enhance user experience and functionality. The device provides various features including Step Count, Heart Rate and SpO2 measurement, Stress Measurement, Smart Home Control, Stopwatch, and Weather Information. These features enable users to monitor their physical activity, vital signs, and stress levels and promote overall well-being. The Smart Walking Stick is designed with modularity in mind, ensuring easy installation and replacement of components. The Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller serves as the main board for device operations, providing a powerful and flexible platform. The MAX30102 sensor is utilized for Heart Rate Measurement, while the MPU6500 sensor enables Fall Detection and Step Count functionalities. To offer a user-friendly interface, an SSD1306 0.96-in. OLED display is incorporated. Furthermore, the device incorporates a critical safety feature by integrating Amazon Web Services (AWS) to enable Help Request. In the event of Fall Detection, an SMS is sent to predefined contacts for prompt assistance. The device also contains a 5-W Speaker to emit a loud noise to request assistance from anyone nearby. The device also provides the ability to request Help if required, using the same SMS service. The device can also be used to control Smart Home devices such as Lights, Fans, Switches, and other Smart Devices using Amazon Alexa and AWS. The device achieves fall detection accuracy of 98%, heart rate accuracy of 96% and SpO2 accuracy of 98%.