Guardsman

• 

  Estimote Beacon Dashboard

Inspiration

I believe that everyone needs to learn, regardless of their disability or impairment. As an IT Student Intern and Co-op Student in State Farm's Assistive Technology Services and Support area, my passion for helping individuals with disabilities acheive their full potential in all areas of life.

What it does

Guardsman uses Google's Eddystone-URL framework to broadcast a web address from a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon. This Eddystone-URL redirects a blind or low-vision individual to my website, where they navigate to a section titled "Directions." This page gives them directions and basic contextual information based on the floor that the individual is on. Then, the individual can confidently move in the direction of their objective.

How I built it

With the help of Mirus Research, who both leant me the beacons and the iPad to implement my solution, I set up the beacon. First, I ensured that I owned the beacon that I was using. Then, using Estimote's iOS app and cloud-based dashboard, I set up the beacons to broadcast an Eddystone-URL. I then bought space to host my website and set up my DNS servers on GoDaddy's website so that I could access it. Once the site was live, I used bit.ly's URL shortening service to put the standard URL for my personal website, fatalexceptionsite.com, into a format useable by the beacon. Then, I turned on VoiceOver, a screen reader made by Apple that comes with iOS, and accessed the site. Finally, I used VoiceOver to read the directions and information.

Challenges I ran into

I spent all of Friday working on a project that I ended up never implementing. Also, I didn't have the hardware to implement the beacons until around noon on Saturday. Then, when I borrowed an Android tablet from Matt Hughes, it ended up needing to be completely blown away and reloaded. Even after that, the tablet ended up not being compatible with the beacons. I used a lot of precious time chasing after solutions that never seemed to work.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I charged through the setbacks and finished my hack. At the end of the day, win or lose, I am confident in my steps that were taken toward making the world more accessible to individuals with disabilities.

What I learned

I learned that technology is occasionally less complicated than you thought. Through this experience, I learned how beacons work and how to code an accessible web page. Finally, I learned that the greatest personal challenges can lead to the greatest personal successes.

What's next for Guardsman

I hope to persuade Milner Library to look into implementing my solution. I also intend to continue to pursue further applications of beacons in my home.

Built With

• css3
• eddystone-url
• html5
• physical-web
• voiceover