Smart Dog Collar: Precise Pet Activity Monitoring and Safety Control
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Customer
The client is a consulting agency that helps SMEs and start-ups create and implement corporate management and marketing strategy. Being focused on providing customers with all-in-one service packages, the company also offers R&D, corporate web design and content management.
Problem
The client needed a seasoned technology partner with a strong firmware and hardware engineering and design expertise, as well as unmatched experience in full-cycle development of embedded solutions for the Internet of Things, to help create a smoothly running solution to support sports competitions and enable accurate results tracking. An impeccable quality of the service was a strict requirement, as the client intended to feature the product as a part of their new offering.
Softeq was to deliver a compact device intended for usage during sports events and workouts enabling simple and flexible organization of cross-country competition in the various marketing concepts. The primary goal of the project was to awaken children's interest to sports. Our team was responsible for development of both enclosure and schematic design, integration of Wi-Fi network, indoor location system implementation, as well as gyrostabilization of lasers.
Once the hardware part of the solution is completed, the client will move to development of ETL-, web and mobile applications to enable user-friendly device and competition management, data storage and sharing. The system implies catering for the following target establishments:
Schools
As far as the solution was conceived as a compact device that does not require a long time for mounting, it is supposed to be used as a training equipment in primary schools in the physical education classes. Teachers can use the admin panel in the device management web portal to configure it according to the specific character of the competition and create local ranking lists.
Sports Clubs
Sports clubs can use the device to train reaction, coordination, and speed of professional sportsmen, for whom double laser optical sensors would serve as an extension.
Event Agencies
While using the system, competitors are supposed to have an ability to directly compare their results and collect checks with logos of sponsors printed by a Bluetooth-connected printer, to obtain prizes. The sports events employing the solution would be a magnet to the public through such impressive features as video recording of each running and its broadcasting at a large monitor, as well as real-time tracking of winners in the ranking lists via smartphone application or browser.
Solution
The multipurpose device allows sports activities tracking, video recording and live streaming, as well as integration with social networks. The solution’s main differentiators are automatic laser calibration and a high measurement precision. The basic function of the installation is time-keeping of passage of the running distance using laser optical sensors. The product also serves to measure the reaction, agility and velocity of runners or any participant at a certain route section and direction and then transfer the data to a PC.
Competitors are free to decide where their results will be published. It may be just the ranking lists on the device site or video record of the running, which is published in social networks. There is also a possibility of spontaneous competition between friends from different localities.
Challenge
Software-based laser gyrostabilization was the most challenging task among multiple nontrivial parts of the project. Carrying out a comprehensive R&D session, the team solved the problem of step motor management by means of pulse width modulation on standard GPIO microcontrollers. This structural arrangement ensures the laser being securely fixed and stable, so that no motion of the device body would affect it.
Methodology
The project’s implementation went sequentially employing the Waterfall development methodology.
Results
The team accomplished the hardware development phase and completed a sample manufacturing. The device’s design and material specifications, as well as performance and inspection documentation, meet the following international standards: IPC-2612, IPC-2221, IPC-7351B, IPC-4562, IPC-4101, IPC-A-600, IPC-A-610. The device was shipped to the client to get tested and approved before proceeding with further development phases.
