AI Vs the Black Death: Building a Medieval Doctor Machine

What if you could visit a doctor during the Black Death?

In this project, I built a fully interactive Medieval AI Doctor Simulator using an ESP32 and a TFT display. Using only two buttons, the device guides the user through a diagnosis process and delivers results based on both historical beliefs and modern medical understanding.

With animated analysis, a risk detection system, and a clean interface, this project recreates how people once understood disease — and contrasts it with what we know today.

A mix of history, electronics, and “AI-like” logic — all in one device.

This Project falls under the Middle-Ages category.

Before starting, make sure you have all the required parts:

1. ESP32 microcontroller
2. TFT display (ILI9341 SPI)
3. 2 push buttons
4. Breadboard-(ESP32 wide breadboard or use 2 with a gap)
5. Jumper wires

Connect your TFT display to the ESP32 using SPI:

1. VCC → 3.3V
2. GND → GND
3. CS → GPIO 5
4. RESET → GPIO 4
5. DC → GPIO 2
6. MOSI (SDI) → GPIO 23
7. SCK → GPIO 18
8. LED → 3.3V
9. MISO (optional) → GPIO 19

Make sure all connections are secure, as loose wires can cause display issues.

Each button connects between a GPIO pin and ground:

1. Button 1 → GPIO 25 → GND
2. Button 2 → GPIO 26 → GND

The ESP32 uses internal pull-up resistors, so no external resistors are needed.

1. Open Arduino IDE
2. Go to Library Manager
3. Install the TFT_eSPI library

Then configure it:

1. Open User_Setup.h
2. Enable:

1. Set your pins:

Save the file before continuing.

Upload the main program to your ESP32.

Once uploaded, the display should turn on and show the main menu.

If the screen stays blank:

1. Check wiring
2. Confirm correct driver (ILI9341)
3. Restart Arduino IDE

The interface is controlled using only two buttons:

1. Button 1 → Scroll up
2. Button 2 → Scroll down
3. Hold Button 1 → Select

The system will guide you through:

1. Selecting a symptom
2. Choosing duration
3. Choosing severity

After entering inputs, the system:

1. Simulates analysis with animated screens
2. Displays a progress bar
3. Generates a diagnosis based on a decision system

It evaluates:

1. Symptom type
2. Duration
3. Severity

Then assigns a risk level:

1. Low Risk
2. Medium Risk
3. High Risk

The device presents:

1. Risk level
2. Medieval treatment (historically accurate)
3. Modern medical explanation

This highlights the contrast between past and present medical knowledge.

This project demonstrates how a simple microcontroller can simulate intelligent behavior through structured logic.

It also provides an engaging way to explore how medical understanding has evolved over time.

#include <TFT_eSPI.h>

TFT_eSPI tft = TFT_eSPI();

const int btnUp = 26; // swapped

const int btnDown = 25;

int step = 0;

int selection = 0;

unsigned long pressStart = 0;

bool holding = false;

// Data

String symptoms[] = {"Fever", "Cough", "Black Spots"};

String duration[] = {"1-2 days", "3-5 days", "1+ week"};

String severity[] = {"Mild", "Severe"};

int maxItems[] = {3, 3, 2};

int s, d, sev;

String titles[] = {"Symptom?", "Duration?", "Severity?"};

// ===== STARTUP =====

void startupScreen() {

tft.fillScreen(TFT_BLACK);

String title = "PLAGUE AI";

tft.setTextSize(3);

tft.setTextColor(TFT_RED);

tft.setCursor(40, 60);

for (int i = 0; i < title.length(); i++) {

tft.print(title[i]);

delay(150);

}

tft.setTextSize(2);

tft.setTextColor(TFT_WHITE);

tft.setCursor(60, 110);

tft.println("Initializing...");

tft.drawRect(20, 180, 280, 20, TFT_WHITE);

for (int i = 0; i <= 280; i += 10) {

tft.fillRect(20, 180, i, 20, TFT_RED);

delay(40);

}

delay(300);

tft.fillScreen(TFT_RED);

delay(120);

tft.fillScreen(TFT_BLACK);

tft.setTextColor(TFT_GREEN);

tft.setCursor(30, 120);

tft.println("System Ready");

delay(800);

}

// ===== UI =====

void drawUI() {

tft.fillScreen(TFT_BLACK);

tft.setTextSize(2);

tft.setTextColor(TFT_CYAN);

tft.setCursor(10, 10);

tft.println("PLAGUE AI SCANNER");

tft.setTextColor(TFT_WHITE);

tft.setCursor(10, 50);

tft.println(titles[step]);

tft.fillRoundRect(20, 100, 280, 60, 8, TFT_WHITE);

tft.setTextColor(TFT_BLACK);

tft.setCursor(40, 120);

tft.println(getOption());

tft.setTextColor(TFT_YELLOW);

tft.setCursor(10, 200);

tft.println("Hold UP to select");

}

String getOption() {

if (step == 0) return symptoms[selection];

if (step == 1) return duration[selection];

if (step == 2) return severity[selection];

return "";

}

// ===== THINKING =====

void thinkingText() {

String msgs[] = {

"Scanning symptoms...",

"Comparing records...",

"Checking infection...",

"Evaluating risk..."

};

for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++) {

tft.fillScreen(TFT_BLACK);

tft.setCursor(20, 120);

tft.setTextColor(TFT_GREEN);

tft.setTextSize(2);

tft.println(msgs[i]);

delay(600);

}

}

// ===== PROGRESS =====

void progressBar() {

tft.fillScreen(TFT_BLACK);

tft.setTextColor(TFT_GREEN);

tft.setCursor(40, 40);

tft.println("Analyzing Patient");

for (int i = 0; i <= 100; i += 5) {

tft.drawRect(20, 120, 280, 20, TFT_WHITE);

tft.fillRect(20, 120, i * 2.8, 20, TFT_GREEN);

tft.setCursor(120, 160);

tft.println(String(i) + "%");

delay(70);

}

}

// ===== SUMMARY =====

void showSummary() {

tft.fillScreen(TFT_BLACK);

tft.setTextSize(2);

tft.setTextColor(TFT_WHITE);

tft.setCursor(10, 20);

tft.println("Patient Summary:");

tft.println("\nSymptom: " + symptoms[s]);

tft.println("Duration: " + duration[d]);

tft.println("Severity: " + severity[sev]);

delay(2000);

}

// ===== RESULT =====

void showResult() {

tft.fillScreen(TFT_BLACK);

int risk = 0;

if (s == 2) risk += 2;

if (sev == 1) risk += 2;

if (d == 2) risk += 1;

tft.setTextSize(2);

tft.setCursor(10, 20);

if (risk >= 4) {

tft.setTextColor(TFT_RED);

tft.println("HIGH RISK\n");

tft.setTextColor(TFT_WHITE);

tft.println("Likely PLAGUE\n");

tft.println("Medieval:");

tft.println("Quarantine\nLeeches\n");

tft.println("Modern:");

tft.println("Bacterial infection\nAntibiotics");

}

else if (risk >= 2) {

tft.setTextColor(TFT_ORANGE);

tft.println("MEDIUM RISK\nPossible illness");

}

else {

tft.setTextColor(TFT_GREEN);

tft.println("LOW RISK\nMinor condition");

}

tft.setTextColor(TFT_YELLOW);

tft.setCursor(10, 220);

tft.println("Hold UP to restart");

}

// ===== SETUP =====

void setup() {

pinMode(btnUp, INPUT_PULLUP);

pinMode(btnDown, INPUT_PULLUP);

tft.init();

tft.setRotation(1);

startupScreen();

drawUI();

}

// ===== LOOP =====

void loop() {

if (digitalRead(btnUp) == LOW && digitalRead(btnDown) == HIGH && !holding) {

selection--;

if (selection < 0) selection = maxItems[step] - 1;

drawUI();

delay(200);

}

if (digitalRead(btnDown) == LOW && digitalRead(btnUp) == HIGH) {

selection++;

if (selection >= maxItems[step]) selection = 0;

drawUI();

delay(200);

}

if (digitalRead(btnUp) == LOW && digitalRead(btnDown) == HIGH) {

if (!holding) {

pressStart = millis();

holding = true;

}

tft.setCursor(10, 230);

tft.setTextColor(TFT_GREEN);

tft.println("Selecting...");

if (millis() - pressStart > 800) {

if (step == 0) s = selection;

if (step == 1) d = selection;

if (step == 2) sev = selection;

step++;

selection = 0;

holding = false;

if (step > 2) {

thinkingText();

progressBar();

showSummary();

showResult();

delay(5000);

step = 0;

}

drawUI();

delay(300);

}

} else {

holding = false;

}

}