Inspiration
Women’s safety is a serious issue in India. Every year, thousands of women face harassment, assault, and other crimes, and many feel unsafe traveling alone, especially at night. Hearing personal stories from friends and reading news reports about incidents that could have been prevented made me realize how urgent this problem is. I wanted to build something that could help women feel safe and supported in real time, giving them a tool they could rely on whenever they were in a potentially unsafe situation.
What it does
Sentinel is a personal safety system designed to protect women in real time. It monitors the user’s surroundings, including location, sounds, and other cues, to detect potential threats. When a risky situation is identified, it immediately alerts trusted contacts and local authorities, while also guiding the user to a safe location. The system can be activated hands-free using voice commands, making it effective even when the user cannot reach their phone. By providing proactive support and timely assistance, Sentinel helps women feel confident and secure wherever they go.
How I built it
I built Sentinel step by step as a solo project, starting with a deep understanding of women’s safety challenges in India and identifying situations where immediate help could make a difference. I collected and analyzed data such as GPS location, ambient sounds, and user inputs to detect potentially unsafe situations in real time. Based on this information, the system evaluates risks and automatically responds by alerting trusted contacts and local authorities, while guiding the user to a safe location. I designed a mobile app interface that is simple, intuitive, and voice-activated, allowing users to access help even when their hands are occupied. Through iterative testing and refinement, I focused on making Sentinel reliable, accurate, and easy to use, ensuring it could provide practical and timely assistance to women in everyday life.
Challenges I ran into
While building Sentinel as a solo project, I faced several challenges. One of the biggest hurdles was limited real-world data to test how accurately the system could detect unsafe situations. Ensuring the system responded quickly without generating false alerts was another major challenge, as it needed to be reliable in urgent situations. Integrating multiple sources of information, such as location, ambient sounds, and user input, in real time required careful planning and testing. Additionally, I had to focus on making the app intuitive and trustworthy so that users would feel confident relying on it during emergencies. Overcoming these challenges taught me the importance of persistence, attention to detail, and user-focused design.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
The accomplishment I’m most proud of is building Sentinel entirely on my own from concept to a working solution. I successfully created a system that can detect potential threats, alert trusted contacts, and guide users to safety in real time, all while being easy to use and culturally relevant for India. Completing this project solo taught me not only technical skills but also problem-solving, resilience, and empathy, knowing that the tool I built could genuinely make a difference in women’s safety.
What I learned
Working on Sentinel taught me a lot about combining technology with real-world impact. I learned how to analyze and respond to real-time situations, design a system that people can trust and use easily, and consider cultural and practical relevance in the solution. Beyond technical skills, I gained experience in problem-solving, perseverance, and thinking from the user’s perspective, understanding that creating a solution isn’t just about building features, but about making a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
What's next for SENTINEL AI
Moving forward, I plan to enhance Sentinel by making it smarter, faster, and more reliable. This includes improving real-time threat detection, reducing false alerts, and integrating additional features such as community safety updates and route recommendations. I also aim to expand accessibility, ensuring the system works across more devices and is easy to use for women from different backgrounds. Ultimately, my goal is for Sentinel to become a trusted, widely adopted personal safety tool that empowers women to feel confident and secure wherever they go.
Built With
- firebase
- gps
- javascript
- javascript-frameworks:-react-native-platforms:-mobile-(ios-&-android)-cloud-services:-firebase-databases:-firebase-realtime-database-apis-/-tools:-device-sensors-(gps
- microphone)
- mobile
- push-notifications
- python
- react-native
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