Safe Alarm, save students

Hardware system

Our project addresses a critical gap in campus safety: the challenges students face when they lack access to their phones or feel uncomfortable using digital safety apps. We are developing a sensor system designed to be both accessible and user-friendly during moments of distress—whether in a threatening situation, feeling unsafe, or needing assistance getting to a destination. With a simple press of a button labeled "Help, get help," students can quickly alert both campus and Fairfax police, ensuring a timely response.

Our approach is inspired by the continuous beeping sound of crosswalks, which helps visually impaired individuals navigate busy roads. Similarly, our system will emit a continuous beeping noise to guide students toward a nearby alarm system. When the button is pressed, it will trigger a louder sound to notify the police of the student's location.

We built the hardware using a sound sensor and a motherboard to detect motion, integrating a button that triggers a more pronounced alert when activated. As a team, we are new to hackathons, and creating both the hardware and the code to generate sound was a significant challenge. We successfully navigated these hurdles by watching instructional videos, attending hackathon workshops, and utilizing online resources. Through this process, we gained valuable experience with the hardware tools necessary for sound activation, as well as how to construct a basic system using wires, breadboards, and other materials in our toolkit.

Looking ahead, we plan to continue developing this project after the hackathon, with the goal of creating a fully functional sound system that can be monitored and controlled via smartphones.