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Camosun students’ invent modular wireless tracking system.
Invention featured in international magazine
March 20, 2007
Ever wish you had eyes in the back of your head? Find it hard to keeping an eye on your child every single second?
A team of Electronics Engineering Technology students realized that children are always on the move. That’s why John Caruana, Doug Irvine, Matthew Quener, and Chris Cheng developed an easy-to-use child tracking unit to keep an ‘electronic’ eye on busy children.
The team’s work was featured in the February issue of Circuit Cellar, the international magazine for computer applications. The article, written by the students, described how the team designed and built the system.
What it does
The Modular Wireless Tracking System allows parents to receive instant alerts and information about their child’s location. A small wrist-watch type of device is worn by the child. If the child wanders outside of a pre-determined range, easily set by the parent, the parent's device alerts the parent with a flashing light and buzzer alarm. The device's screen tells the parent how far away the child is and an arrow shows which direction the child is moving. The child's device also features a panic button and a ‘dead man’ switch that is set to go off if the unit is removed from the child’s wrist.
Future features
The amazing thing about the tracking system is that it is a base model with great potential in many different applications. It can be adapted to use on pets or for vehicles. With the addition of a water sensor it could determine if a child has fallen into a pool. It can also be adapted to determine how fast the child is moving, giving the parent advance warning the child is going to leave the area or if they’re in a vehicle. An accelerometer could be added to let the parent know if the child has had a rough fall.
To learn more about Camosun's Electronics Engineering Technology program come to one of our Information Sessions held on the last Tuesday of every month. Contact Alan Duncan at duncana@camosun.bc.ca for more details.
Last updated: January 21, 2010 3:33 pm
