Find My Kid page

Overview

Our project aims to reconnect parents back to their missing children. If a child wanders off in a crowded place, in can be scary for both the parent and the child. Our project will allow parents to reunite with their kids quickly and efficiently. The child will carry an arduino + bluetooth module device, which will communicate through bluetooth to the parent’s cellphone. When the child and parent are separated by a pre-set distance, both the child’s device and the parent’s phone will respond. The child’s device, which will be carried in a small, portable, and kid-friendly box, will emit a loud noise. Meanwhile, the parent will get a notification on his or her cellphone.

Members

• Alexa Rakusin
• Anaïs Quach
• Manohar Pradhan
• TA: Sam Hoff
• Instructor: Professor Mell

Weekly Log

Link to weekly log

Objectives

Our main goal for our project is to successfully establish communication between two devices: one being carried by the parent and one being carried by the child. Our project is successful if the devices can indicate to the users that they are separated beyond a specified range. At the end of this semester, we will demonstrate our project by separating the home device and the receiver by the necessary range to make the devices respond accordingly.

Challenges

Technical Skills: The biggest challenge we will face is our overall lack of coding knowledge. We will need to learn the code to set up signal communication between the Arduino, bluetooth module, and the phone. Devising the project and list of goals will also pose some difficulties, because we currently lack the experience and background knowledge to grasp what the project will entail.

Size: Another concern is the ergonomic integrity of the device; we want the receiver to be wearable, durable, and safe for a child. Ultimately, the receiver is meant to be worn by a child in a situation in which the child might be active and running around. Realistically, our device should be small and sturdy so that it could not be easily broken by the user. Ideally, we would like our device to be small enough to wear as a bracelet or accessory; however, if the size cannot be reduced we may put the device in a wearable fanny pack-like accessory.

Distance: The HC-06 Bluetooth Module that we are looking to purchase only has a short range of ~10 meters (around 30 feet), which limits the scope of our project.

Cost: Another challenge to consider is the cost of the final product. Realistically, consumers would not be willing to pay a large sum for a product that they would only use for occasional situations or emergent situations. While some parents experience anxiety about losing their children in crowded places, many parents might not feel the need to purchase an emergency-oriented device that would only be useful during unplanned circumstances.

Gantt Chart

Budget

• Arduino (Provided)
• 3D Printing Materials (Provided)
• HC-06 Module Wireless Serial Communication x3: $26.97
• GSM 900: $17.74
• Alarm Buzzer Sensor Module for Arduino: $5.43
• LED(s): $3.00
• 9 volt batteries: $9.49
• 9 volt battery clips with bare leads: $5.39
• Mini toggle switch: $5.29
• Total: $73.31




In-Class Presentation

We presented our project in class on February 24th. Link to Project Presentation

Design & Solutions

Design Overview

Our design consists of two main devices: the phone and the Arduino. We also 3D printed a portable box to carry the Arduino.



Schematic design of Find My Kid system

Arduino Design

The Arduino set-up consists of three main components: the HC-06 bluetooth module, an LED, and a 9-volt battery.

1. Bluetooth Module: Initially, a breadboard was used to make a connection between the HC-06 bluetooth module and the Arduino Uno. The Bluetooth module was connected in the breadboard and all of its 4 pins were utilized to make a connection the Arduino board. The Vcc of the HC-06 was connected to the 5V pin of the Arduino in order to provide the supply voltage for the module. The module was grounded with the GND pin of the HC-06 connected to the GND pin of the Arduino Uno. The two pins, Tx and Rx on the HC-06 were to be connected to the Rx and Tx pins on the Arduino Uno (pins 0 and 1). A voltage divider circuit was set up between the Rx pin of the HC-06 and the Tx pin on the Arduino so that the voltage used for the serial communication is 3.3 V. Thus, we used two resistors in series with R1= 2R2 and the Tx of the Arduino being connected across R2. The Tx pin of the HC-06 was connected to the Rx pin of the Arduino. The Arduino Uno was then connected to the computer using the USB port. However, these two pins-Rx and Tx on the HC-06, were connected to the Arduino board only after the sketch was uploaded in the Arduino IDE as the sketch uses the USB, which in turn uses the Tx and Rx pins to upload the sketch to the Arduino board.
2. LED: The LED, which was our actuator, was connected to the output pins 13 and 12 on the Arduino. The response of these components depend on the serial communication between the phone and the Arduino/HC-06.
3. Battery: We connected a battery clip with leads to the 9-volt alkaline battery. The + end of the battery is connected to Arduino V_in and the - end of the battery is connected to Arduino GND. A toggle switch is attached in series with the battery that allows us to switch the Arduino on and off. We soldered the pins of the toggle switch to the red and black leads of the battery connector.

Phone Design

For our project, we have used the Android as our platform and that the serial communication can only be compatible between an android phone and the Arduino/ HC-06. After setting up the connections and the circuit and uploading the arduino sketch, the android device is paired with the HC-06 via a simple bluetooth connection. The password is set to a specific code using the AT command mode of the HC-06 module so that only the Android device used by the parent can pair with the HC-06 module. Once paired, the app on the phone ‘FindMyKid’ is opened and the HC-06 is connected to the app. Once done, the app is able to send inputs to the HC-06 and the actuators connected on the Arduino respond accordingly.

3D Printed Box Design

The box was modeled using Autodesk Inventor. We chose to print a box to carry the Arduino because if a child is intended to carry the device, it needs to be durable and portable.

We modeled the box to look like a treasure chest. The lid slides horizontally into one side of the box and was modeled by negative extrusions to the inner wall of the box. We also carved out a space to place the alarm buzzer module with a small hole through the wall of the box so the alarm buzzer can be heard while the box is closed.

We also decided to solder the wires connecting the arduino, bluetooth module, LED, and battery in order to minimize space in the box and create an object more wearable.

Results

Poster

Improvements