Smart Bus Seats

Inspiration

I was motivated by issues that people encounter in overcrowded buses or public transport. There is difficulty for many passengers to locate free seats quickly, particularly elderly passengers or passengers carrying bags. I wanted to develop a simple smart city solution that can contribute to optimize public transport efficiency and comfort.

What it does

A smart bus seat is one that can detect if the seat is empty or occupied by people, and is controlled by an ultrasonic sensor and Arduino Uno. If the seat is free, the green LED lights to indicate that. If anyone or something is sensed on the seat, the red LED light comes on to indicate that the seat is occupied. A simple real time seat availability indicator is provided in the system

How we built it

The project was constructed with an arduino uno, ultrasonic sensor (HC-SR04), leds, jumper wires, and a bread board. We attached the distance sensor to the system and the Arduino code was written to check for a person's presence in the seat. We then followed with the red and green LED to be able to see the status of the seats. Lastly, we made a prototype cardboard seat to approximate a real bus seat

Challenges we ran into

No Challenges

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Things I am proud of our accomplishments in:

I am pleased with the success of creating a working prototype of a smart seat able to detect whether the seat is occupied or not in real time. I am also proud I developed both the connections and the Arduino code by myself! The project presents a feasible smart city transportation concept with low-cost materials.

What we learned

I learned how ultrasonic sensors work, how to connect components using a breadboard and how to program Arduino to control electronic systems. I also gained knowledge of problem solving, teamwork, debugging and the ways how smart city technologies can enhance public transport in everyday life.

What's next for Smart Bus Seats

I would love to be able to expand this to multiple seats and be able to link it to a mobile app or screen that would display the seats that are available at the moment. Accessibility options for elderly and disabled passengers will be added, as will be AI or camera-based occupancy detection for advanced occupancy detection.

Built With

• n/a