The primary attraction of the station is the interactive blood vessel. In my design I wanted to bring the vision of microscopic blood cells to a more familiar and child friendly size. The design was aimed to replicate a blood vessel that children could use blood cells to replicate blood flow. This vessel can function in two modes: online or offline. Offline, the vessel acts as a standalone science manipulative. Users can create and observe blood flow by mixing tangible normal red blood cells, white blood cells, sickle red blood cells, and platelets. The blood flow using these cells changes depending on the addition or removal of the sickle cells, just as it does in the human body. Each cell is design to replicate the shape, proportion, and texture of those found in human blood. The flow is based entirely on physics using the slope of the vessel and traction of the various cell materials to influence speed and blockage.
The vessel can also be connected to an electronic system run by an Arduino USB board. Sensors in the vessel recognize actuators in the cells to determine the rate and type of cells in the blood flow. This information is computed and output is given as light effects on the vessel to highlight changing oxygen levels of the surrounding muscle.
