PepGuard prototype (via http://digitaldichotomy.wix.com/pepguard)
Taking pictures using a digital camera or a smartphone is all the rage with today’s mobile technology. Taking those pictures in crime-ridden locations can give a completely new meaning to the phrase ‘mugging for the camera.’ Mobile device theft is on the rise across the globe and if you are being attacked for your devices (or just plain being attacked), you may not remember exactly how the attacker looked when questioned by police officers. A new device created by students from Cornell University has designed an ingenious solution that allows you to fend off an attacker while simultaneously taking a picture of them. Created by John Yin, Cordelia Lee and Adrian Tung, the ‘PepGuard’ device was designed using an Atmel ATmega 1248p microcontroller along with a camera module paired with a high-powered LED, Bluetooth transceiver and a canister of pepper spray. The system connects with a smartphone that uses an app, which runs in the background (active mode), and waits until the user pushes the PepGuard button trigger. Once the trigger is depressed, the device unleashes the pepper spray deterrent while simultaneously flashing the LED and taking a picture of the attacker at the same time. The camera then sends the image to the microcontroller where it’s processed and sent to the user’s phone (and saves it in JPEG format) by the Bluetooth connection. The app then initiates an emergency phone call to the authorities who should have no problem identifying the perpetrator from both the photograph and the sounds of sobbing induced by the spray. The students designed the PepGuard as their ‘Designing with Microcontrollers’ final project, which means the odds of the device being commercialized and available to the public may never come to pass. However, in the chance that it does become available, it could not only help save lives but also produce some interesting pictures of criminals making rather unique facial expressions.
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