Union

Being alone and a woman is dangerous. Union connects women to people they trust, recognizes dangerous situations, records the audio, and alerts trusted people of the danger and location.

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Inspiration

In the modern era, women cannot so much as leave their house without being constantly aware of their surroundings for fear that they could be assaulted. Women go out in groups, live in groups, and even go to the bathroom in groups. Being in a group gives them a sense of security, but what about when they go out alone? With our app, even going out alone, you are never alone. This will empower users to embrace their independence and empower them to live full and fulfilling lives.

What it does

Union connects the user to a network of their trusted friends, similar to if they would have gone out with a group. To do this, a map is displayed with all of the connected friends' locations. A drop-down menu is also present to scroll through connected friends. Additionally, our app highlights "danger areas." These are areas where crime and assault are prevalent. For 2021, the app also displays the likelihood of acquiring COVID-19. By highlighting these areas, the user can prepare themself even before they leave their house. If an assault does occur, a woman feels as though all of their power is taken away from them. We give them a little bit of that power back with our voice-activated incident recording. By saying "I do not consent," the app starts recording audio of the incident. This audio file will then empower the user to seek help and contact authorities to get the justice that they deserve. In the event that an assault had occurred, we have a support page that will educate and connect women to different resources that will help them accept and move forward with their trauma. This page helps them with steps after sexual assault, helplines where they can talk to a professional, and support groups where women can talk to people who have gone through similar experiences. With these resources, women will be more empowered to reenter society and live their lives. With Union Home, you can connect your mobile app and check your temperature. On the Union Home, you can check your temperature and the location of all the other members of the user's room who have connected to the Union Home. The program also scans mobile phones when passing by to determine if someone has entered the room.

How it is made

We use Adobe XD for the app design and implementation. We used XML and Java to program the Andriod application after we import the XD file. Using Twilio, Union can send a message to other users the person they trust if an event happens. With Google Cloud Messaging, we can send data from the Union Home python program to the other roommates or friends when an unknown phone enters the room or home. The app is made for Andriod, but we hope we can port it to iOS soon. We used Node.js to create a server to store information and data for the AI. Google Maps plugin allowed us to track the user's location and identify the crime statistics and covid statistics. The raspberry pi is the platform and hardware we used to take temperatures and scan phones. Using C and C++, the AI can begin to learn voices and track patterns using the covid and crime stats.

What I learned

We learned how to design a mobile app in Adobe XD. Since each team member has an Andriod phone, we decided to create a mobile app in Andriod Studio. We learned how to convert an Adobe XD file to XML so we can edit it in Andriod Studio and using java, we can link the app's events. We also learned how to use an API to convert audio to text. We created an AI that, when enabled the microphone, listens for a specific audio queue to begin recording. Lastly, we learned how to develop a python UI on a raspberry pi. We connected an ultrasonic sensor, temperature sensor, and cell phone transponder to detect when a phone passed by. We learned how to send messages using Google Cloud and AI.

What's next for Union

Going forward, we want to look at creating discreet hardware that will track the user's location as opposed to their phone. In the event of a kidnapping, the kidnapper would probably discard the cell phone and the discreet tracker would allow the user to get the help that they both need and deserve more quickly.

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