International Journal of Advance Foundation and Research in Computer (IJAFRC)
Volume 2, Issue 4, April - 2015. ISSN 2348 – 4853
Smart Helmet
Kaizad Avari Nimesh Luhana Prof. Sangeeta Nagpure
Department Of Information Technology,
kaizad.Avari@somaiya.edu, nimesh.L@somaiya.edu sangeetanagpure@somaiya.edu
Abstract— This is the age of ‘smart’ devices. Every company is trying to squeeze computers into
traditional devices that we have been comfortable with for years. The lightest heavy-computing
device today is measurably the smartphone. It is mobile, can handle considerable load and is
driven by data. Every single OEM today is trying to create hybrid devices which can feed data to
users, of course again, through the smartphone. One sector that we feel is left out, is the biking
industry. They have seen little or no progress in data delivery to their users; no location
information, no entertainment availability and inefficient communication being just a few. A
Bluetooth enabled helmet paired with a smartphone would effectively push data to a rider. A
better informed rider would translate to safer and easier trips for the entire biking community. In
this paper we suggest various features such a smart helmet could provide.
I.
INTRODUCTION
Everyone in the modern world has gadgets. The center piece of every electronic ecosystem is the
smartphone. All these gadgets are driven by data. Traditionally, usage of these devices in vehicles has
resulted in an increasing number of accidents and has thus been banned in many places. The proposed
Smart Helmet conforms strictly to most traffic regulations and is street safe. The design is not fidgety,
with minimal physical user interaction. The system uses voice recognition to control the system in-ride.
Phone calls are ignored by default. Cumulatively this results in a system that is safe, extremely useful to
the user and meets government regulations at the same time.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
The idea of a smart helmet is not novel. Researchers have been playing around with different
technologies that relate to different scenarios. One thing that is consistent among all of them is that they
fail to relate to the general public. The closest realization of a public-oriented vision is Skully [1], a
Kickstarter funded project that fits immense technology into a helmet in a neat package. This, however,
comes with a huge caveat – the cost.
A traditional helmet on the other hand does not involve cost and omits any form of information
availability with it. It bears a stark contrast to any smart accessory in its category in terms of cost and
features.
III. MOTIVATION
Our vision of a smart helmet is largely consumer oriented. It drops all cost sensitive elements found in
Skully that are not absolutely useful, focusing instead only on audio based technology that suffices in
keeping the user informed. Visual elements usually cause severely more distraction to the user in
contrast to audio based elements. Also, since Bluetooth based helmets are already safety certified, our
model proposes only audio elements over visual counterparts.
‘
25 | © 2015, IJAFRC All Rights Reserved
www.ijafrc.org
International Journal of Advance Foundation and Research in Computer (IJAFRC)
Volume 2, Issue 4, April - 2015. ISSN 2348 – 4853
Figure 1. System Layout
IV. SYSTEM DESIGN
The proposed system is split into two distinct parts – a Bluetooth enabled helmet and a companion
application running on the user’s smartphone. The helmet needs to have a set of speakers mounted on
the sides along with a microphone mounted upfront near the user’s mouth, as displayed in Figure 1.
The smartphone application is designed using the Android SDK provided by Google. It makes use of all
the standard frameworks and uses Google’s ‘GoogleMapsAPIv2 for Android’ [2] as an add-on for Google’s
mapping services. The application uses the phone’s GPS1 position to handle navigation. Audio is pushed
to the rider’s helmet using Bluetooth’s A2DP2 profile. Map routes are obtained using Google Maps API for
Web [3]. The route document is parsed to draw a route on the map. Geofences [4] are used to trigger turnby-turn voice commands in the application. A stray user is automatically detected and a new route is
redrawn on the map.
V. FEATURES
The proposed Smart Helmet plays audio from various channels simultaneously to the user. This is the
focal point of the entire system. Voice based navigation commands, music and notifications for incoming
calls and messages will be fed to the user without any interruptions.
1. GPS – Global Positioning System
2. A2DP – Advanced Audio Device Profile
Distinct user-oriented features that the companion application supports are detailed below.
(i)
User Interface
The application features two ways to control all features: voice and touch. Initially, the user starts
navigation to his required destination and starts riding his bike. Now if the user needs to start new
26 | © 2015, IJAFRC All Rights Reserved
www.ijafrc.org
International Journal of Advance Foundation and Research in Computer (IJAFRC)
Volume 2, Issue 4, April - 2015. ISSN 2348 – 4853
services or modify current services, he simply uses on-board voice commands to do the same. Voice
commands are activated by the simple touch of a button on the helmet.
(ii)
Navigation
The application provides native navigation facilities. User is given turn by turn navigation commands.
The user is asked to input the destination, and the application automatically starts navigating the user
to the destination provided. The voice alerts will be played along with any ongoing background audio.
(iii)
Call and message handling
A user is not allowed call reception while on the road. To overcome this issue and to make the system
road safe, the application blocks incoming calls and simply informs the user who has called. Incoming
text messages can be notified using the same methodology.
(iv)
Itinerary view
The user can request a complete list of steps required to be taken to complete the journey. This can,
however, be activated only via the touch interface and not by voice.
VI. CONCLUSION
The proposed Smart Helmet system strikes a perfect balance between usability, usefulness and cost. The
system was not designed to serve as a fancy add-on peripheral. It was designed instead to fit into the
user’s daily routine in such a way that it is almost not noticeable – yet makes a world of difference to the
rider using it. The system was designed to seamlessly provide significantly more data to the user with
minimal additional cost. It achieves just that.
Field tests show that the system works as indicated. Turn by turn voice commands, lost route
notifications, incoming call notifications and any other background media all work together and
successfully push data that the user wants while riding the vehicle.
VII. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to thank K.J. Somaiya College of Engineering for letting us undertake this project and use
their resources for our work. Also, we would like to appreciate the insightful inputs and efforts of Prof.
Sangeeta Nagpure, without whom this uphill task would not have been possible.
VIII.
REFERENCES
[1]
Skully Smart Helmet
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/skully-ar-1-the-world-s-smartest-motorcycle-helmet
[2]
GoogleMapsAPIv3 for Android Guide
https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/android/start
[3]
Google Maps API for Web
https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/tutorial
27 | © 2015, IJAFRC All Rights Reserved
www.ijafrc.org
International Journal of Advance Foundation and Research in Computer (IJAFRC)
Volume 2, Issue 4, April - 2015. ISSN 2348 – 4853
[4]
Google Geofence API
https://developer.android.com/training/location/geofencing.html
28 | © 2015, IJAFRC All Rights Reserved
www.ijafrc.org