As stated in the previous log, we met with a design professor while in Shenzhen iSDG assembly and we left we new ideas for the design of the companion object.

The main driving concern about our previous design, a cube-shaped speaker with symbols on the side that could light up, was that it was not obvious how it should be used. Part of the problem is that symbols, while more understandable across cultures that written words, are far from universal. For example, how can we be sure that the standard occidental heart shape will be recognized as indicative of a cardiac problem by parents in rural areas in India?

We are now thinking of a button with a very simple shape, similar to that of a mushroom or a buzzer -see example below.

The buzzer would hold a speaker to sound an audio warning and give oral advice, as well as LEDs of different colors so the device can light up with a color corresponding to the level of emergency of the situation.

As the voice advice will be translated into local languages and adapted for each community, it would also be reasonable to adjust the emergency color coding to the standards of the community.

We believe that this design has a better chance to be easily interacted with by people from very different backgrounds than the previous one, though it of course needs to be submitted to the feedback of users.

All the electronic necessary to communicate with the sensors will also be hosted under the button.

For now we have identified only one big technical challenge with the new design: for the sound to carry out of the device, there should be holes in the button. However, it needs to be resistant to humidity and rain, so we need to find a way to protect the electronics properly.