Eka
While discussing challenges faced by people with special needs, my friend and I began exploring how individuals with visual impairments manage monthly menstruation. The topic resonated deeply with us, prompting further research into the unique problems faced by these women. To our surprise, we found limited information available through desk research, which highlighted a significant gap and an opportunity to contribute. We are now reaching out to local blind schools for support in conducting on-field research and are optimistic about hearing back from them soon. Till then we were exploring initial concepts for the same.
Team : Nidhi Kothari , Vaishnavi Joshi
Desk research, Fast conceptualising
Duration : 4 weeks - Work ongoing
Overview
Eka is a sustainable assistive device which helps visually impaired women by making their menstrual days less cumbersome. It aims to help them maintain menstrual hygiene and carry out their menstrual days' tasks independently.
Eka is a Sanskrit word meaning "one" or "together as one". Eka here is used to imbibe a feeling in the user that this device is their own part and not something foreign to their body. It gives them the strength to be independent without them feeling like a burden.
About the user group
The user group includes visually impaired women (partially/fully) between the average age 12-50 years [ i.e. right from menarche (first occurrence of periods) to menopause (end of women's menstrual cycle) ].
The user group is further segregated as
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Visually impaired women who live alone
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Visually impaired women who live with family
PROJECTED CHANGE IN VISION LOSS (BLINDNESS) TILL 2050​
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It is found that out of all 253 million people who are visually impaired, 55% of them are woman. Visual impairment types include blindness, moderate to severe, mild and near vision loss. But the number of people with blindness is subjected to triple in the next 4 decades due to growing population.
Desk Research
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We read research papers and came across a study undertaken to understand menstrual hygiene problems faced by blind women where 187 blind women were interviewed.
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"The biggest problem is failing to understand the end of the period. I cannot feel. The blood is coming only in drops. If there is someone, you show the pad; otherwise, you wait one more day." (Aged 34, born blind, housewife)
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"In general, we understand whether bleeding is going on just in the way a usual woman understands it. I think the main problem is to distinguish between the blood and the discharge." (Aged 33, born blind)
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"You cannot see the color. You hardly distinguish the discharge. There is also a prayer aspect of it . . . I wash the toilet more frequently in those days to avoid it to be covered in blood. "(Aged 20, born blind, housewife)
Methods used by visually impaired women to track start and end of periods from the study
Key Insights​
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Blind women find it difficult to distinguish between discharge and period blood
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Blind women mostly determine the start of menstruation by noticing the smell of blood and the end by feeling the dryness on pad
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Finding trash bins and washrooms at unknown spaces is a hassle for blind women
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Most women are unable to predict the time when their pads are full and require support for that
Along with hygiene management, dependency on others increases for blind women. Right from identifying periods, checking stains at home to finding washrooms/ trash bins at unknown spaces, they require assistance from family/friends/colleagues.
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"Now I have my mother by me. What will I do alone when she is not by me in the future? I want to succeed in performing this task on my own." (Aged 22, born blind)
Key Insights​
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Blind women mostly acquired knowledge about menstruation from their mothers or schools
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Many of them require support during these days and are mostly dependent on their mothers and subsequent family members
Analysis & Explorations
Problem statement
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Visually impaired women face health issues due to improper menstrual hygiene and their constant dependency on other people during these days affects them mentally.
Pain Points
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Navigation of washrooms, trash bins (to dispose pads/tampons) especially at unknown spaces
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Identifying when periods start / end
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Identifying when their pads/ tampons/ cups are full.
Things to keep in mind
Solution
Eka is a wearable assistive device which will help visually impaired women during their menstrual days by primarily helping them by doing these 3 tasks independently
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Informing them well in time before their periods start/end
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Informing them to change pads/tampons/menstrual cups from time to time keeping in mind both their menstrual flow (heavy, moderate, negligible) and ideal time till which a pad/tampon/menstrual cup is safe to use.
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Helping them navigate to the nearest washroom / trash bin (for pad/tampon disposal) at unknown spaces.
Mindmap
Ideation
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Both ear device and pendant will be automatically connected through Bluetooth when the user removes it from the charging case.
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As the biosensors would track the hormones and detect the start of periods, the user will have to keep wearing the pendant prior to their period date. As it has the navigation feature, it would help the user in the days other than menstrual days as well.
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It will guide users in their language of preference with real-human like voice.
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Refreshable braille display on charging case for the user to identify the battery percentage
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There will be a manual for the user to set up the device which would be in a braille format.
Features
Navigation to the nearest washroom/trash bin
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The device will recognize the destination (washroom/trash bin) by the sound input given by the user.
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The device would guide the user to the nearest washroom/trash bin (using the camera on pendant) based on basic instructions like right/left/front/back and number of footsteps instead of metrics like meters etc.
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The device would detect obstacles in her way towards the destination
Informing start of periods
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With the help of biosensors, the device will inform the user a few hours prior to when their periods start
Reminding/ checking if pad/ tampon needs to be changed​​
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Reminding the user about changing pads based on a premade model by keeping in mind optimal pad usage in terms of time, hygiene and blood flow.
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Checking if the user (when in washroom) needs to change/empty pad/tampon/menstrual cup with the help of imaging system
Technology
For informing them well in time before their periods start/end
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#1 Possible solution: Keeping a track of monthly period date and reminding every month.
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#2 Possible solution (Chosen): Using biosensors and AI mechanisms. Biosensors which detect menstruation related vitals and hormones along with previous menstruation history can help track menses with a predictive model based on AI which keeps on updating.
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Reason: This solution will help in real-time tracking and increased accuracy which is required because periods are unpredictable.
For informing them to change pads/tampons/menstrual cups from time to time keeping in mind both their menstrual flow (heavy, moderate, negligible) and ideal time till which a pad/tampon/menstrual cup is safe to use.​
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#1 Possible solution: Collecting data from user herself about the type of flow she has on all days of her periods (usually 7-8 days)
and combining it with the ideal number of times to keep changing pads/tampons/menstrual cups. This combination could
help to create a suggestive model for optimal pad usage both in terms of time and hygiene.
#2 Possible solution (Chosen): Having a predefined database of images
(of pads/tampons/menstrual cups) in all types of period flows (heavy/moderate/negligible) can be compared with the present pad / tampon/ menstrual cup condition of the user and an accurate suggestion to either change or keep using or empty the pad / tampon and menstrual cup respectively can be given. Here an imaging system can be used to capture the present condition
when the user goes to the bathroom to check her pad/tampon/menstrual cup.
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Reason: Decision-making about changing pads will be more logical when captured real-time through imaging system rather than getting (at times incomplete/biased/not accurate) information from user about her period blood flow.
For helping them navigate to the nearest washroom / trash bin (for pad/tampon disposal) at unknown spaces​
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#1 Possible solution (Chosen): Using AI along with machine learning capabilities for obstacle detection, object recognition, navigation towards the object and navigation to surpass the obstacle. Here, all the inputs and outputs would be through voice modality.