Brian from Brian’s Workbench was recently on Show-and-Tell (2016/04/20 episode) and showed off his homemade light sensor project, built to remind him to power on his novocure Optune device (it’s the battery, the computer, and the bag itself, in the image below – the LiPo battery, mini piezo, and components in the clear tube are Brian’s “add on” project). The Optune device is intended to track GBM4, or glioblastoma multiforme, a type of brain cancer (thus the ‘netting’ on his head in the Show-and-Tell video). Sometimes forgetting to turn on the unit after a power cycle, Brian cobbled together his “add on” that tracks the light from the Optune device and beeps if it isn’t on. It’s a really smart use of the TCS34725 RGB color sensor and I really appreciate Brian sharing this personal health project both on our Hangouts on Air and on his blog. Hopefully this inspires other makers with health issues to consider ways to use technology to improve their health-tracking needs.

 
You can view some videos about the Optune device and GBM4 treatment on this page. And read more about Brian’s project and track his progress here on his blog.

Featured Adafruit Products!

RGB Color Sensor with IR filter and White LED – TCS34725: Your electronics can now see in dazzling color with this lovely color light sensor. We found the best color sensor on the market, the TCS34725, which has RGB and Clear light sensing elements. An IR blocking filter, integrated on-chip and localized to the color sensing photodiodes, minimizes the IR spectral component of the incoming light and allows color measurements to be made accurately. The filter means you’ll get much truer color than most sensors, since humans don’t see IR. The sensor also has an incredible 3,800,000:1 dynamic range with adjustable integration time and gain so it is suited for use behind darkened glass. Read more.