OutWatch

A wired sensor unit located outside bunkers providing real-time environmental information to residents inside the bunker, used during wartime for access to information, non-reliant on the internet.

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Inspiration

Imagine the scenario that Singapore has entered a wartime scenario, citizens would be evacuated into bomb shelters and bunkers to stay safe. In the bunker, citizens would anxiously await signs of safety outside. Typically, people would get this information from warning systems, apps, and radio. However, these things are not fully reliable and are at risk of destruction. If these systems fail, people will not know what the situation is outside. Hence, our solution of relaying information securely into the bunker, letting people in the bunker know what exactly what the situation outside the bunker is.

What it does

Our solution is a wired sensor unit that relays information such as radiation levels, sound levels, light intensity, etc. into a data display in the bunker. With this real-time information, people in the bunker can have an understanding of the exact situation outside their bunker. Rather than waiting anxiously for a siren to go off, people in the bunker can actively monitor environmental conditions outside the bunker. This wired sensor is also more reliant on providing information compared to warning systems that can be destroyed and radio waves that can be disrupted.

Furthermore, this information is shared with other bunkers in the area through a wired connection, allowing more information to be shared allows for people to feel more secure with more information at their hands.

How we built it

We built this using a ESP32 connected to light intensity, temperature and humidity sensors. The data captured is then passed over to a simple web server that will display the information in an application. The actual design would also include the sensors such as pressure sensors, sound sensor, air quality indicator. This data would then be displayed on a better UI as shown in our Figma MockUp.

Challenges we ran into

The lack of time was one of the bigger challenges that we ran into as we tried to 3D model, code, and build our product in time. Work organization was quite messy at the start of the project as well as we were still unclear on what we exactly wanted

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of our idea and believe that it can help many people in times of distress, in this scenario wartime. The lack of information in bunkers during trying times can cause a lot of distress and be very scary. Our sensor unit can help to reduce this anxiety and provide real-time information to residents in the bunker

What we learned

We learn how to manage and prioritize our time. There were many things that we were very interested in building and creating, however, the lack of time taught us to prioritize which parts of the project were more important.

What's next for OutWatch

We hope that our idea can help people in trying times, with more time we could better improve the design of our sensors and the hard shell case protecting them. Improving the display of data to better help people in the bunker understand their situation

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