UGuard Project

Purpose

Our objective is to build a handheld device and phone application. UGuard, implements a groundbreaking safety protocol to help college students stay safe at their campuses. We are searching for motivated, skillful, and ambitious engineers with a strong background in programming, hardware, and wireless technology. Details are summarized below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are a list of FAQ's.

Is the device discrete?

Our expectation is to build a device that is large enough to operate, yet discrete enough to conceal. The device is a versitle accessory, the user will have the option to adjust the way it can be attached to various locations.

How does it operate?

The user can at the press of a button initiate an emergency notification to predefined contacts which includes details of real-time GPS location.

What are the forms of communcation?

The device utilizes Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GSM standards for communication and data transmission purposes.

Can the device operate independently?

The device is self-sufficient. It does not require a phone to send emergency notifications, since it can access different communication networks to send the data.

Prototype Proposal

We plan on designing a circuit capabale of capturing real-time GPS coordinates and wirelessly communicate them using Bluetooth technology to any Bluetooth-capable device. In addition, we will be investigating network access authorization provided by the network security team on campus to ensure Wi-Fi and GSM communication accessibility around campus.

Software Goals

Develop code to establish bluetooth communication between our bluetooth module and bluetooth-capable device.
Configure the GPS module to collect and process real-time GPS data.
Design a state diagram to demonstrate the functional communication between two bluetooth nodes.

Hardware Goals

Research and implement a bluetooth module to demonstrate reliable connectivity.
Evaluate and compare available GPS modules for best suitability.
Analyze power consumption for GPS and bluetooth modules.

Design Diagram

Challenges

Below is an up-to-date list of possible challenges in software and hardware.

Software Challenges

Seperation of concern between the phone and the device.
Ensuring a secure environment for user data.
Emergency requests are served in real-time.
Delivering notification to close contact even when service is unavailable.

Hardware Challenges

Cellular Network Access.
Configuring Wireless Hardware.
Power Management.

Budget

Below are initial estimates for parts needed for the success of our project.

Lanyard - $10
Waterproof 3D case - $27
Microcontroller $2-$12
Wireless Transceiver - $2-$12
Rechargeable Lithium CR2032 - $6
PCB - $10-$20
Circuit Components - $5-$10
Domain - $5
Hosting - Free-$10
Micro-USB Port - $5
Micro-USB Cable - $2

Timeline

We anticipate the following due date for project completion.

Feb 28^th 2021

Project Website V1

We will lay the foundation to our project website and identify the preliminary challenges, monetary items, and inital budget plans.
Mar 13^th 2021

Project Website V2

After the initial launch of our project website, we discuss challenges and review feedback from fellow classmates to further bulletproof our idea and express our goals, challenges and purpose.
Mar 26th^th 2021

Project Website V3

During this time, we will be adding the final touches to our project website as well as finalizing our premilinary prototype for our product.
Apr 5^th 2021

Proposal Draft

Complete product research and draft proposal containing inomprtant information regarding our project.
Apr 14^th 2021

Finalize Proposal and Prototype

We will have our proposal draft peer-reviewed and finalized for submission.
Apr 16^th 2021

Project Presentation

Our team will have the necessary research and proposal completed for a final presentation of our product before moving to the design and implementation stages.
Apr 23^rd 2021

Project Submission

Finalize and submit project proposal and prototype.
We will
Continue
Our story!