FloSelect

• Farhan Ali
• Syed Ali
• Deja Anderson-Fitzell
• Gabriela Wojciak

Advisors: Miiri Kotche, PhD, Anthony E. Felder, PhD

Sponsor: Cheryl Evans with Vocatek

The swallowing disorder Dysphagia can arise from several cases of medical issues ranging from strokes to degenerative neurological conditions; thus any person of any age can suffer from dysphagia. Current methods for treating dysphagia include conventional speech therapy, patient education and swallowing maneuvers such as tucking the chin; however, these methods only touch base on what patients should do to live safely with Dysphagia and in most cases, they don’t work. Our design FloSelect, is a consumer tabletop device that measures the flow rate of any liquid, while giving the user feedback in a yes/no reading, indicating if it is safe for them to drink the liquid or not in accordance with their speech pathologists prescribed safe swallowing range. The safe swallowing range is determined by a speech pathologist via the use of barium swallow studies. FloSelect is a 3D printed box that is comprised of a compartment at the top where the liquid is poured into for testing. To start the test the user presses a button on the LCD screen which signals the servo to lift a plexiglass wall that releases the liquid down a ramp at a steady rate for every test. FloSelect utilizes two Lux sensors under a four-inch ramp that measures the time it takes for one liquid to cross the first to the second sensor. Once the testing is done, the LCD screen displays the final readings of either a yes or no reading to the user. FloSelect will be used as a means of a preventive method decreasing the chance for the liquid to go down the wrong path into the trachea which causes aspiration related injuries.

See supporting documentation in the team’s Box drive.