A PAPER PRESENTATION ON

ADDICTION AVOIDER
USING EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

CONTENTS :  SENSORS.

 AMPLIFIER.
 ABSTRACTION.
 OSCILLATORS.
 INTRODUCTION.
 STEREO
 THE BRAIN.
HEADPHONE.
 BRAIN WAVES.
 FUTURE PROSPECTS.
 ADDICTION.
 MERITS.
 RECOVERY
 DEMERITS.
THERAPY FROM
 CONCLUSION.
ADDITION.
 REFERENCES.
 THE ADDICTION

AVOIDER.

 PRINCIPLE.

 WORKING.
 clear evidence of morbidity
secondary to such use. It is a
combination of genetic,
biological/pharmacological and
social factors. Example:
Overeating, Having sex,
Gambling, Alcohol drinking,
Taking Narcotic Drugs and Certain
Mannerisms. In this paper we are
going to see about a design of
device that can entirely avoid
addiction. The device Addiction
Avoider is based upon the
principle of controlling “Brain
waves”.

INTRODUCTION:
Before going on to details we are
supposed to know the basic terms that
this paper is based upon. These are the
ABSTRACT: terms ‘The Brain’, ‘Brainwaves’ and

About half the ‘Addiction’.

people around the world are 1. The Brain:

addicted to one or more addictive It is well known that brain is an

substances. Addiction is one of the electrochemical organ. The Brainwaves

are produced by the temporal lobe of the
chronic disorders that are
brain. It processes auditory information
characterized by the repeated use
from the ears and relates it to Wernicke's
of substances or behaviors despite
area of the parietal lobe and the motor
cortex of the frontal lobe. The amygdala
is located within the temporal lobe and
controls social and sexual behavior and
other emotions. The limbic system is
important in emotional behavior and
controlling movements.
Fig.1. Side and top
view of the human brain with parts
Researchers have
speculated that a fully functional brain
can generate as much as 10 watts of
electrical power. Even though this
electrical power is very limited, it does
occur in a very specific ways that are
characteristic of the human brain.
2.Brainwaves:
Electrical activity
emanating from the brain is displayed in
the form of brainwaves. There are four
categories of these brainwaves, ranging
from most activity to least activity.
These are delta waves, theta waves,
alpha waves and beta waves. Delta
waves are waves with high amplitude. It
has a frequency of 0.5 – 4 Hertz. They
never go down to zero because that
would mean that you were brain dead.
But, deep dreamless sleep would take
you down to the lowest frequency.
Typically,2 to 3 Hertz. Theta waves are
waves with amplitude lesser than that of
delta waves and have a greater frequency
of 5 – 8 Hertz. A person who has taken
time off from a task and begins to
daydream is often in a theta brainwave
state. Alpha waves are waves with
amplitude lesser than that of theta waves
and have a greater frequency of 9-14
Hertz. A person who takes time out to
reflect or meditate is usually in a alpha
state. Beta waves are the waves that have
he lowest amplitude and have the highest
frequency of 15 – 40 Hertz. These waves
are again classified into low beta waves
and high beta waves according to their
range of frequencies. The low beta
waves have a frequency of 15 – 32
Hertz. A person making an active
conversation would be in the low beta
state. The high beta waves have a
frequency of 33 – 40 Hertz. A person in
a stress, pain or addiction would be in
the high beta state.
 Physical
TABLE 1:
DIFFERENT dependence on a substance is
BRAINWAVES AND ITS FREQUENCIES
defined by
S. Brainwave Frequency
No. s range appearance of
(Hertz) characteristic
Delta 0.5 - 4 withdrawal
1) symptoms when the
Theta 5-8 drug is suddenly
2) discontinued. Some
Alpha 9 – 14 drugs such as
3) cortisone, beta
Low Beta 15 – 32 blockers etc are
4) better known as
High Beta 32 - 40
5) ‘Antidepressants’
rather than addictive
substances. Some drugs induce
physical dependence or
physiological tolerance - but not
addiction - for example many
laxatives, which are not
psychoactive; nasal

Fig. 2. Different brainwaves with decongestants, which can cause

their names and the situations when rebound congestion if used for
it occurs.
more than a few days in a row;
3.Addiction: and some antidepressants, most
There are two types of notably Effexor, Paxil and Zoloft,
addiction: Physical dependency as they have quite short half-
and Psychological dependency. lives, so stopping them abruptly
causes a more rapid change in
A) Physical
the neurotransmitter balance in
dependency : the brain than many other
antidepressants. Many non- the harm caused out of desire
addictive prescription drugs for the effects it produces,
should not be suddenly stopped, rather than to relieve
so a doctor should be consulted withdrawal symptoms.
before abruptly discontinuing As the drug is
them. indulged, it becomes associated
with the release of pleasure
B) Psychological
inducing endorphins, and a
dependency: cycle is started that is similar to
physiological addiction. This
Psychological
cycle is often very difficult to
addictions are a dependency of
break. We are going to solely
the mind, and lead to
consider the psychological
psychological withdrawal
addictions in designing the
symptoms.
addiction avoider device.
Addictions can
theoretically form for any 4.Recovery Therapy
rewarding behavior, or as a
habitual means to avoid from Addiction:
undesired activity, but typically Some
they only do so to a clinical level medical systems, including
in individuals who have those of at least 15 states of the
emotional, social, or United States, refer to an
psychological dysfunctions, Addiction Severity Index to
taking the place of normal assess the severity of problems
positive stimuli not otherwise related to substance use. The
attained. Psychological index assesses problems in six
addiction, as opposed to areas: medical,
physiological addiction, is a employment/support, alcohol
person's need to use a drug or and other drug use, legal,
engage in a behavior despite family/social, and psychiatric.
While addiction or dependency alternate course of action. Anti-
is related to seemingly anxiety and anti-depressant
uncontrollable urges, and has SSRI drugs such as Lexapro are
roots in genetic predisposition, also often prescribed to help cut
treatment of dependency is cravings, while addicts are often
conducted by a wide range of encouraged by therapists to
medical and allied professionals, pursue practices like yoga or
including Addiction Medicine exercise to decrease reliance on
specialists, psychiatrists, and the addictive substance or
appropriately trained nurses, behavior as the only way to feel
social workers, and counselors. good.
Early treatment of acute Therapists often
withdrawal often includes classify patients with chemical
medical detoxification, which dependencies as either
can include doses of anxiolytics interested or not interested in
or narcotics to reduce changing. Treatments usually
symptoms of withdrawal. An involve planning for specific
experimental drug, ibogaine, is ways to avoid the addictive
also proposed to treat stimulus, and therapeutic
withdrawal and craving. interventions intended to help a
Alternatives to medical client learn healthier ways to
detoxification include find satisfaction. Clinical leaders
acupuncture detoxification. In in recent years have attempted
chronic opiate addiction, a to tailor intervention approaches
surrogate drug such as to specific influences that effect
methadone is sometimes addictive behavior, using
offered as a form of opiate therapeutic interviews in an
replacement therapy. But effort to discover factors that
treatment approaches universal led a person to embrace
focus on the individual's unhealthy, addictive sources of
ultimate choice to pursue an pleasure or relief from pain.
 two tones will be distinguishable
THE ADDICTION
and no beat will be perceived.
AVOIDER: Block Diagram:
Head bands
PRINCIPLE:
Sensor Amplifier
The principle 1 1 Oscillator
Right
behind this device is ‘Binaural Side
1
Atmel
(1000Hz
Stere
Beats’. Binaural beats or binaural Sensor Amplifier 8515) o-
tones are auditory processing 2 2 Oscillato
Left
r Side
artifacts, which are apparent 2
Stere
(1010H
o-
sounds, the perception of which Sensor Amplifier
3 3
arises in the brain independent
of physical stimuli. The brain
Fig.4. Block
produces a similar phenomenon diagram of the device Addiction
Avoider
internally, resulting in low
frequency pulsations in the
loudness of a perceived sound WORKING:
when two tones at slightly
The block diagram
different frequencies are
consists of the following parts
presented separately, one to
whose operation is as below
each of a subject's ears, using
stereo headphones. A beating SENSORS:
tone will be perceived, as if the These sensors
two tones mixed naturally, out consist of a 0.7 inch diameter
of the brain. The frequency of hard plastic outer disc housing
the tones must be below about with a pre-jelled Silver chloride
1,000 to 1,500 hertz. The snap style post pellet insert.
difference between the two These sensors do not contain
frequencies must be small any latex and don’t need any
(below about 30 Hz) for the conductive gel.
effect to occur; otherwise the
 voltage of about 2.7V – 6.0V. So
we are using amplifiers.
Gain (A) =
(-R2/R1) (1)
Where, negative sign
represents change in phase by
Fig. 5.
Electroencephalography (EEG) 90◦
sensors

The sensor sends the analog

brainwave signal into the 8515
microcontroller.

AMPLIFIERS:

Fig. 7. Circuit diagram of cascaded

inverting amplifier with a gain of 2,
00,000.

It is designed in such a way that

it amplifies 15 micro volts to
about 3.5V. Here we are using
basic cascaded inverting
Fig. 6. Circuit diagram of a basic
amplifier using operational
Inverting amplifier using
amplifier with a gain of about 2,
Operational amplifier.
00,000, embedded in a small
Printed Circuit Board (PCB).
Basically the
Here we are
amplitude of analog brainwaves
using four inverting amplifier
is in terms of 10 – 15 micro
cascaded with each other. So let
volts. But the Atmel 8515
the gain of each inverting
microcontroller has an operating
amplifier from left to right be A1, range of the microcontroller.
A2, A3 and A4. And let Vi and Vo There are four negative signs in
be the input and output voltages the gain equation which add up
of the amplifier. to give 360◦ phase shift.
Now, A1 = (- OSCILLATORS:
R2/R1)
The oscillator is basically a Wein
= (-
2/1) bridge audio oscillator. The
= -2 oscillator is designed in such a
A2 = (-
R4/R3) way that it produces a particular
= (- audio wave below 1500 Hz. The
10/1)
= -10 oscillator will be designed such
A3 = (- that it has 10 – 13 Hz difference
R6/R5)
in frequency with oscillator 1.
Vo =Vi *Av This difference in frequency
= (-
100/1) creates Binaural Beats. Thus if the
brain of an individual produces
= 3V
= -100 32 – 40 Hz (High Beta waves)
A4 = (- i.e. if he/she is in stress or
R8/R7)
= (- addicted to some substance, the
100/1) binaural beats having a
= -100
Now Total Gain of the amplifier frequency of about 10-13 Hz

(A), creates a stimulus making the

A = A1 * A2 * A3 * A4 brain to move towards the

(2) stimulated frequency.

A = (-2)*(-10)*(-100)*(- STEREO HEADPHONE:

100)
A = 2, 00, 000
Here we have amplified an 15uV
signal to an 3V signal so that
the signal is in the operational

This is done by sending audio
waves from one oscillator to one
of the two sides of
headphone and another
oscillator to another side of the
headphone
FUTURE PROSPECTS:
Addiction avoider can be used to
cure stress or tension on any
individual. The concept
binaural waves can be further
researched and used to find a
device for communication with
deaf and dumb individuals. It
can be further used to study the
resonance of brain during brain
diseases.
MERITS:
1) The headband used is made
of rubber or any clothing (better
to be an insulator) provided it
must be designed such that the
sensors touch the skin.
2) The whole device is light
weight and can be carried
anywhere we want.
3) The whole device including
the
sensors microcontroller and
headphone is cheap and costs
only about Rs. 3000 and above.
DEMERITS:
Those meeting any of the
following criteria/conditions
should not use binaural beats:
of
a) Epileptics
b) Pregnant women
c) People susceptible to seizures
d) Pacemaker users
e) Photosensitive people.
CONCLUSION:
Addiction Avoider is the safest
and simplest device to use in
prevention of Addiction. It is
used for any type of addiction
like addiction caused by taking
narcotic drugs or alcohol and
simple addictions like
overeating, sexual intercourse
and mannerisms.
REFERENCES:
[1] ‘Detection of seizures in
epileptic and non-epileptic
patients using GPS and
Embedded Systems’ by Abhiram
Chakraborty – Ukranian Journal
of Telemedicine and medical
Telematics (TOM 3 No.2 Pg 211)
[2] www.way2students.com