Background and Phase I Technical Objectives
The primary object in phase 1, is to create a simulation of the Don’t Forget Me.
A lab prototype will be developed and demonstrated to the potential customer. Initial
development of product software will also be completed in this phase. As outlined in the
Evaluation Plan, the success of this phase will be measured by the satisfactory
completion of the software as well as the prototype. Also being developed in this phase is
the documentation for our product which include the requirements document, test
simulation documentation (to ensure simulated online accounts can be accessed using a
token), user manual, and refinement of our plans.
Proposed Implementation:
The Don’t Forget Me will be implemented right into a vehicle at the time of
manufacturing. Although the vehicle manufacturer will decide the exact specifications
on how to implement it successfully with the specific car make and model, the following
modals will depict and abstract view of a proposed implementation.
The following image shows a general proposed location of the five sensors. The
Pressure Sensor is located on the seat to sense if there is an object or person on the seat.
The Heartbeat Monitor is placed on the back of the seat to detect if there is a person on
the seat, or just a backpack. The CO2 Sensor in the back serves a similar purpose and is
used with the Heartbeat Monitor, instead detecting CO2 levels from a person breathing..
The Motion Sensor is placed ahead of the seat to get the best field of vision to detect any
motion from a person sitting in the seat. The Temperature Sensor will detect how
dangerous an environment it is currently inside the car, and thus how deadly. These five
sensors work in unison to accurately access the situation inside and react accordingly.
The following images will demonstrate both the goal, and the exact need for the
Don’t Forget Me implementation. The first will be a process flow of what would
normaly happen without a Don’t Forget Me installed in the Vehicle.
In this Scenario, we have a businessman who has just arrived at work. Earlier in
this day, his wife had to run out on an emergency, and thus he was charged with the
responsibility of dropping off their child to the daycare center. Unfortunately for him,
this was a very unusual event. With the child asleep in the back seat, he instead drove
strait to work completely forgetting about his child.
With the father gone off to work, the child is trapped. This particular day happens
to be about 85 degrees outside. Normally this temperature is very nominal, and not very
life threatening. Unfortunately for the child, a car is the perfect greenhouse. AT that
temperature, in just 7 – 10 minutes, the inside temperature of the car will be about 100
degrees, and in about 30 minutes, the inside temperature will be 120 degrees. The father
will not be back for at least a few hours. The car becomes a prison for the poor child,
with no chance for escape. When the father gets back, no only will he have a horrible
surprise, he will also face major legal problems.
With a Don’t Forget Me Installed within the vehicle, this will not happen. The
following will show the exact same scenario with an entirely different outcome.
Just as before, we have a businessman who has just arrived at work instead of
dropping his child off at the daycare. Fortunately for him, his car is implemented with a
Don’t Forget Me. As he walks away, the Don’t Forget Me in the car detects that there is
in fact a baby in the car, and that the keys to the car, which the man holds, are now 10
feet away. It triggers the car alarm, alerting the businessman.
Because of the Don’t Forget Me, the father remembers his mistake, and is able to
go retrieve the child before harm can come to the child. The child is now safe.
The alarm will continue to go off until the car is started, the baby is removed, or a
button is pushed in the back seat of the care. This button will ensure that if the child left
is old enough to safely stay in the car, the alarm can be deactivated. The system will
continue monitoring conditions in the car though, and if conditions become too
hazardous, the alarm will sound again, and cannot be shut off until the child is removed.
Hardware Specification:
UI description:
There will be two very basic user interfaces. The first is the simple switch in the
back. This is used to temporarily disable the proximity alarm. The alarm will still go off
if conditions become too hazardous. The second interface concerns the readout when a
car mechanic runs a diagnostic on the car’s internal computer. If there is a malfunction
with the Don’t Forget Me, it will be included in this diagnostic.
Expert Interview:
The following is a list from two interviews. This list contains important
information that has impacted the direct of the Don’t Forget Me development.
Roger Kelly from Gloucester County Public Schools
 School buses in the state of Virginia do not have seat belts with the exception of
the Special Needs buses
 Compartmentalization is the standard used in the school bus industry
 Average price for a standard 64 passenger conventional school bus is
approximately $70,000 and special Needs bus averages approximately $78,000
 There are one or two incidents of this nature very year here in Hampton Roads
Chris Edward from NASA
 System uses a transmitter and receiver
 Have yet to market it
 Gives advice to get it quickly from the design stage to market.
 Cost is around $35