Hystander!

Inspiration

After constantly being scared whenever we stepped away from our bags while in a coffee shop or the student center, we wanted something to protect our stuff and give us peace of mind.

What it does

HyStander is a digital lock for your bags and purses that alerts bystanders that a thief is stealing equipment while also scaring the culprit in the process.

How I built it

We used a Particle Photon to read accelerometer values and let our iOS app know that the device (and the bag) is being moved without the users consent. Using Particle's webhook service, our product can alert users of a robbery in progress wherever they are.

Challenges I ran into

We struggled to integrate the Photon initially due to faulty hardware and WiFi issues, but after overcoming this hurdle we were able to integrate the board with our PCB (which we designed in Eagle to include the accelerometer and buzzer).

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

We're proud that we were able to make an IoT device to help protect people's belongings.

What I learned

We learned how to design PCBs and fabricate them, create iOS apps, make IoT devices, and use the Photon

What's next for Hystander!

We plan to integrate an auto-locking feature so that whenever the user is not in proximity of the device, HyStander is ready. We also plan to implement a Geolocation feature to help the user find their equipment in case of a theft.

Built With

• accelerometer
• buzzer
• c++
• ios
• iot
• photon-particle