Problem description

In the era of COVID19 and new pandemics in future, it becomes critical to count and limit the number of people physically located in the same place at the same time. That policy allows national governments to hold the spreading of epidemics down and adapt their health systems to new medical and economical challenges. To cope with that, researchers and engineers shall develop new technologies and tools which will be easily implemented in all countries despite their economical situations. So, in other words, such inventions should be open-source and inexpensive to be available for everyone.This is the point where open-source prototyping boards meet urgent needs of all humankind. They are relatively cheap, customisable and reliable devices that may not only perform loaded programs and control the situation based on input information from sensors, but also communicate to each other. The last feature, also known as "Internet of Things" (IoT), allows engineers and IT enthusiasts build and control complex systems for themselves and organisations with a limited budget. I would like to develop one of such systems, called 'EpiDoor', which would help local organisations such as shops, gyms, schools and universities to cope with COVID19 and future epidemics in a more efficient way.

Aim of the device

The main aim of the 'EpiDoor' device is to count, control and report the number of people going in and out of a particular indoor location, e.g. a shop, a lecture room, or a cinema hall. Several 'EpiDoor' devices will be connected into a network via WiFi allowing an administration of a local organisation to monitor the situation via a phone in real-time. Such automation will make the process of following official policies from health organisations a more effective tool to prevent the spreading of epidemics in the field.The conception of the 'EpiDoor' device is illustrated bellow.

Key features of the device

1. quick installation on a door
2. only wireless communication
3. battery-powered
4. ease to assemble
5. low-budjet hardware (< 50$ in total)
6. free software including an IoT service.
   
   

Why Arduino Nano IoT?

Arduino Nano IoT represent an ideal platform for realisation of the "EpiDoor" project. It is a relatively inexpensive prototyping board providing wireless communications, power-efficiency, reliability and compactness. The Bluetooth communication allows a user to control the situation directly using a mobile phone in the absence of Internet, while WiFi connects devices to the Internet through an IoT service/server. The most suitable IoT service for this project is Arduino IoT Cloud having a free service plan and mobile applications for both Android and iOS mobile devices.

About the kit and its components

The "EpiDoor" device will consists of seven elements:

• Arduino Nano IoT

• two ultrasonic/IR sensors
• ten segment LED bar

• buzzer
• breadboard

• pack of batteries
• enclosure
  
  

Two ultrasonic or IR sensors are used for counting the number of people coming in and out. A ten segment LED bar shows the occupancy rate, while a buzzer will be activated when there are more people than allowed. In addition, the notification will be sent via Bluetooth or WiFi from Arduino Nano IoT to a mobile phone. All the components and Arduino will be connected through a breadboard, supplied by 5V power-source, and packed into an enclosure.

Implementation plan

In brief, the beginning of April will be devoted to setting up the 'EpiDoor' prototype without any wireless communication: testing sensors and the idea itself. In the second part of April and the beginning of May, I will work on Bluetooth and WiFi communication of 'EpiDoor' with a mobile phone. Particularly, testing IoT service(s) and API(s), working on remote alarm notifications and monitoring of occupancy rate in several locations. The remaining days in May will be used for testing autonomous work in the field, packing the components into a solid enclosure and recording a demonstration video how to use the device for the final blog post. The schedule will be as in the following table.

Note: the Arduino IoT device will be delivered only on April 1. Thus, implementation plan has been edited.

Thank you for your attention!