Indian engineering student develops a ₹500 device to ensure social distancing

Indians have been placed under complete lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic, with only essential services accessible to the people. Those who have to step out of their homes are concerned about their safety and try to keep a safe distance from strangers in an effort to avoid the infection. However, if you were having any problems trying to maintain a safe distance from strangers, an engineering student claims to have found a solution to that problem by developing a small device which is said to help people keep a track of a lot of things.

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Indian engineering student creates a social distancing device

Prabin Kumar Das, a B-Tech student, along with his professors at the Lovely Professional University, Punjab, has come up with a small IoT pendant called Kawach (shield) that has been specifically designed to promote social distancing among people. The device has been loaded with a number of sensors that assists the user by not only keeping a track of their health but also notifying them by vibrating and glowing if they are getting too close to a person, breaching the mandatory one-metre distance.

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The pendant also comes equipped with a vibration motor that vibrates every thirty minutes, to remind the user to wash their hands. Apart from this, the pendant also features a thermal sensor which monitors the wearer’s body temperature in case their body temperature crosses normal levels. The wearer gets notified about the same through an SMS on their phone.

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Dr Lovi Raj Gupta, Executive Dean of Science and Technology, Lovely Professional University, has stated that the device is their effort to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus as the whole world grapples to find a vaccine for the disease. He added that the device enables a user to achieve just that by warning them in case their safe space is breached. Gupta further added that the Kawach also offers a handwash reminder which is a very handy tool in these times.

The device has been currently priced at ₹500 per unit. The makers say that if the device is mass-produced, its price could be further reduced to ₹400 per unit.

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Image credits: Unsplash | Macau Photo Agency