I am writing a project proposal for seed funding for an engineering project.ELC Fund
A scheme for funding undergraduate ideation projects in the engineering field which make people’s daily living more convenient, comfortable and safer, or address the needs of specific target groups.
With a maximum seed funding of HK$150,000 over a one-year development plan, ELC Fund aims to support the research and initial development of authentic and original ideas with a positive social impact.
My Role
As a PolyU undergraduate engineering student, I am qualified for the ELC Fund, and I will collaborate in groups of 3 or 4 and write a group project proposal based on my authentic knowledge, interests, experience and skills. The project proposal should include the part Executive Summary, Introduction, Goal and Objectives, Current Situation, Product Overview, Technical Description, Benefits, Project Team, Schedule, Budget, Conclusion and References. This proposal should be written for non-expert target funders. Specifically, I am writing the Product Overview part. My project is named “Waveguard”,

The structure of the Product Overview part:
“
Overview: introduce key elements in the design and the operation with reference to key technologies.
Explain how it works (materials, resources, technology, other details involved with the project)
Overall product appearance (size, shape, general appearance, materials)
Components: describe the main component parts (better with image of the parts). Create a logical connection between each component described.

”

My Introduction, Goal and Objectives, Current Situation, Product Overview, Technical Description part :
“
Introduction
The ageing demographic in Hong Kong poses unique challenges as the number of individuals over 65 has surpassed 1.45 million in 2021 [1]. This shift raises safety concerns, particularly the risk of falls, which, as reported by the Department of Health’s Unintentional Injury Survey 2018, represent a significant 39.4% of unintentional injuries among the elderly [2]. Often living alone, these individuals are vulnerable to accidents that can remain unnoticed for extended periods, emphasizing the need for prompt detection. Furthermore, roughly 70% of this elderly cohort battles chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension [3], necessitating constant health monitoring.

Given these facts, the consequences are severe: increased duration of hospital stays, a decline in quality of life, and greater economic pressure on families and the healthcare system. Therefore, timely intervention is critical in elderly care to maintain our commitment to both compassion and life preservation. Waveguard detects motions and vital signs such as respiration and heart rate without compromising privacy or accuracy. Coupled with a communication system to alert medical personnel or family members in emergencies, Waveguard seeks to reduce the time it takes for solitary elderly individuals to receive medical attention after an incident, therefore mitigating the severity of injuries from falls and expediting the response to critical health events.

Goal and Objectives

Goal
To improve the quality of life and physical health of elderly individuals living alone by providing assistance in dealing with daily risks through the support of “Waveguard,” an advanced detection system designed for safety and protection.

Objectives
Users will be able to
• monitor the motions and different vital signs of them/ their elderly family who live alone remotely through the real-time millimeter wave (mmWave) based system and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms
• gain timely medical support by notifying the medical personnel/their family through the wireless communication speaker system

Current Situation
As Hong Kong’s senior population expands, critical societal concerns arise due to the shifting demography. The number of elderly individuals is projected to jump from 1.45 million in 2021 to 2.74 million by 2046, representing an increase from 20.5% to 36% of the population. This demographic transition means that more than one in three residents in Hong Kong will be of advanced age [1]. Parallel to this trend, younger generations are often relocating for employment or have fewer offspring, resulting in a growing prevalence of older adults living in solitude.

Elderly adults are frequently affected by chronic health conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. It is estimated that roughly 70% of the elderly population in Hong Kong battles these long-term ailments [2]. When living independently, consistent access to medical care can be challenging. Additionally, falls pose a significant risk for seniors, which can hinder their ability to live autonomously and may lead to graver injuries like fractures. Furthermore, the solitude associated with living alone can exacerbate feelings of loneliness, depression, or anxiety, potentially aggravating their health conditions.

Consequently, as the number of seniors rises, the demand for medical services intensifies, straining the healthcare system. This bottleneck effect can result in extended wait times for assistance and can divert resources from other areas of need. The Hospital Authority reports that the average waiting time in emergency rooms frequently exceeds 2 hours, with some districts observing wait times of over 7 hours [3]. This indicates a critical shortfall in medical resources and personnel, with insufficient capacity to attend to elderly care. Moreover, there is an escalating need not only for long-term residential care facilities but also for services that offer a swift response in emergencies, such as immediate support following a fall.


Product Overview

Figure 1. Appearance of Waveguard Overall appearance of Waveguard
Specification

• Height: Approximately 3 cm.
• Length: Approximately 10 cm.
• Width: Approximately 10 cm.

Description: Waveguard is a compact, unobtrusive device designed to enhance the safety and well-being of the elderly. Its minimalist design allows it to blend into home environments seamlessly. Equipped with advanced technology, including mmWave sensors and AI algorithms, it provides non-invasive monitoring of vital signs and physical conditions, ensuring timely assistance and peace of mind for users and their caregivers.


Figure 2. Advanced millimeter Wave (MMwave) Sensors

Description: These sensors are the core of the Waveguard system, operating within the 24 GHz to 300 GHz frequency range[4]. They are adept at detecting subtle movements and obstacles, including walls, enabling the system to monitor vital signs and movement without physical contact.
Figure 3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Algorithms
Description: AI algorithms in Waveguard process data from MMwave sensors to analyze patterns and detect irregularities. This includes monitoring heart rate, respiratory rate, and detecting falls or sudden changes in physical condition, enabling real-time health monitoring and emergency alerts.



Figure 4. Wireless Communication System

Description: This system facilitates seamless connectivity between Waveguard and external devices or services, such as caregivers’ smartphones or emergency services. It ensures timely alerts and updates are provided, enhancing the safety net for the elderly.

Figure 5. Speaker System

Description: Integrated within the Waveguard, the speaker system can issue audible alerts or instructions, providing an additional layer of interaction and emergency communication with the monitored individual.

Figure 6. Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Description: The CPU, potentially consisting of microcontrollers or FPGAs, is optimized for high-speed signal processing. It processes data in real-time, applying signal processing techniques to extract meaningful health indicators from the raw data captured by mmWave sensors.


Technical Description
The system architecture, depicted in Figure 2, integrates a series of state-of-the-art components and technologies that operate synergistically. These include the mmWave sensors, AI-driven processing unit, real-time communication infrastructure, and a user-oriented mobile application, all of which work together to deliver a reliable, real-time monitoring and notification ecosystem.

Millimeter Wave Sensing Technology
Waveguard utilizes state-of-the-art millimeter-wave (mmWave) sensing to monitor the well-being of the elderly, particularly when they are living alone. The mmWave Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) radar functions by emitting a high-frequency wave that can detect minute movements. Upon hitting a target, such as a person, the wave is scattered back to the system’s receiving antennas. This captured data is then processed into point clouds—a 1D model composed of dots that represent the position of objects or people—which are crucial for creating an accurate spatial representation and detecting movements or alterations of the elderly in posture. Additionally, the system generates Doppler velocity information, which measures movement speed and direction using the change in frequency of the reflected wave, crucial for recognizing emergencies like falls or determining abnormal inactivity. Working through clothing and without needing a direct line-of-sight, the technology is particularly suited for home environments where light conditions and visual obstructions are variable, all while maintaining privacy by not producing visual images of the individuals it monitors.

AI-Driven Fall Detection
Central to the ‘Waveguard’ system is its AI and machine learning core, which uses Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks [6]. LSTM networks are designed to remember patterns over time, much like our human memory works, by filtering information to focus on important details and discard what’s not relevant. These are well-suited for sequence prediction problems and are used to interpret the captured mmWave data. This sophisticated AI framework has been trained to reliably differentiate between regular activities such as walking, sitting, or lying down and critical events like falls. Real-time interpretation of these activities is reinforced through continuous monitoring of vital signs, including respiration and heart rate, offering a comprehensive health assessment of elderly individuals.

Real-time Communication and Notification System
Once the onboard processor within the mmWave device detects a fall, it transmits a signal to a dedicated server via existing communication networks like 4G, 5G, or Wi-Fi. The Waveguard server performs several processes, such as logging the incident, identifying the affected individual, and coordinating notification dissemination. Caregivers or family members then receive an alert through a specially designed mobile application. Furthermore, in critical conditions where emergency services are needed, Waveguard includes a wireless communication-linked speaker system, facilitating direct contact with medical personnel or relatives. This ensures not only timely medical intervention but also constant reassurance for the elderly and their families that help is always at hand.

Mobile Application
The Waveguard mobile application utilizes widespread smartphone technology to reliably send instant alerts. When the monitoring system detects unusual movement or critical changes in vitals suggesting a fall or health concern, it triggers a notification that is pushed to the connected smartphone. This works similar to receiving a text message or app notification, ensuring the caregiver is informed promptly, regardless of their location. The notification design is not only straightforward, allowing for swift recognition of the alert type (e.g., fall, heart rate irregularity, etc.), but also visually prioritizes the urgency so that more critical alerts are discernible at a glance, helping caregivers to react appropriately and without delay.

Energy Considerations
To ensure that Waveguard remains an effective tool for continuous monitoring, it will be meticulously engineered to maximize energy efficiency. The IWRL6432 mmWave sensor embodies the essence of energy efficiency with its sophisticated low-power 45nm RFCMOS process engineered to deliver high performance while minimizing power consumption [7]. With its current battery setup, Waveguard is expected to operate autonomously for up to 12 months before requiring a battery replacement or recharge, under typical usage conditions. These advancements could potentially enable Waveguard to operate indefinitely with minimal human intervention, making it an even more dependable tool for continuous monitoring in diverse environments.
”
In the Product Overview part, for CPU, mention the CPU is integrated inside the Waveguard. I used the table form with one image at each session to describe the component in that part.