EE2 Group 15 Final Report

Imperial College London

Module Name: EE2-PRJ

Project Title: Drowning Detection Device
Project Supervisor: Professor Danilo Mandic
Date of Submission: 13/03/17

Group Members:
Abdul Nur CID: 01076295

Benedikt Kolbeinsson CID: 01070796

George Ainscough CID: 01056129

Ian Rossuck CID: 01087266

Louis Won CID: 00932892

Omotade Iluromi CID: 00949296

Shan Qihao CID: 01064088

Contents page
​

Contents page 2

Abstract 3

Introduction / Background 4

Design Criteria 5

Concept Designs Considered 7

Sensor Network 7
Ultrasound 7
Optical/ Laser Grid 8
Infrared/ Optical Camera 9
Communications Network 9
Infrared 9
Bluetooth 10
Radio 10

Concept Selection 11

Concept development 12
Prototype Design 12
Algorithm Used 16
Modules 16
Manufacturing 17
Notification Device 18
Estimated Costs of Manufacture 20

Competitors 21

Project Management 22

Future Work 23

Conclusion 23

References 24

Appendix 26

Page 2
Abstract
​

This project involves the research and development of a drowning detection device to
be installed in swimming pools to alert lifeguards and other users to potential drowning
incidents.
The project first analyses the problem in order to obtain a specification for the
system, i.e. how the final product should perform, and the general features that should or
should not be included. Then, the report goes on to outline some concept designs that were
considered by the group, the positives and negatives to each design, and then implements a
Pugh decision matrix to determine which design best meets the specification.
Following from this, the report then proceeds to detail how the group developed the
selected designs, the experimental issues that they faced, and how they overcame them.
This leads to the analysis of the final design being carried out- from analysing the cost of
manufacturing the system, to drawing comparisons with the market’s leading competitor.
From this it becomes obvious that the designed system is much more cost effective
than anything on the market- but is only slightly less sophisticated.
Finally, a last analysis of the system with respect to these new results is carried out,
which outlines how we can improve the final design to further increase the functionality and
sophistication of the product.

Page 3
Introduction / Background
Globally, drowning has been the leading cause of death for infants and toddlers (0 to
5 years old) (1)​
​ . And 75% of drowning deaths of children younger than 15 occurred at a
swimming pool located at a private residence (home pool, neighbour’s pool) (2)​
​ . The main
causes of these tragedies are inadequate supervision and the lack of swimming pool
securities.

In North America, private swimming pools are very common in residence backyard.
However, most of these pools do not have lifeguards on duty. Thus, these facilities are
constantly at a high risk of having undetected drowning incidents.
However, having a lifeguard on duty does not always solve the problem. There have
been incidents where the lifeguards have failed to spot the drowning. On 25, Jan, 2017, a
14-year-old teen drowned when the lifeguard was using a computer (3)​ ​ and even when the
lifeguards are fully focused on the task at hand, these sort of accidents still occur. Therefore,
there is a demand for a drowning detection product in the market.

The device discussed in this report aims to provide a solution to the problem. It could
potentially save hundreds of lives in both public and private pools. The device would monitor
the swimming pool 24/7 and alert lifeguards or people nearby of a drowning incident. The
drowning victim will therefore receive help at the earliest instance thus having a higher
chance of survival.

In the interim report, an initial design has been established: An array of 400 -500 nm
LEDs sources and sensors placed along opposing walls of the pool. Data picked up by the
sensors is then processed by an Arduino which will determine if a drowning incident is
occurring. If a drowning individual is detected, the Arduino will activate an alarm system to
alert people nearby, and send a mobile notification to the designated lifeguard, parent or
guardian.

Since the completion of the interim report, the team has worked accordingly to the
project management plan. The hardware modules and algorithms concerned have been
designed and developed with considerations of the adjusted design criteria. After further
research, the appropriate LED emitters, sensors and other components have been selected
and tested in preparation of building a scaled down prototype.

The prototype aims to prove that most of the functions stated in the previous report
including detection of drowning individual and audio alert system is possible with this design
implementation. Unfortunately, due to the lack of time and resources, the mobile notification
system will not be built.

Page 4
 Design Criteria
In the interim report (under Design Specifications) certain criteria for success were
specified. These have been been adjusted to to fit the prototype which will be used as a
proof of concept for demonstration. The new design criteria are as follows:

1.​ F
​ ast Detection
When a drowning occurs, it takes 20 to 60 seconds for the individual to become unconscious
and be submerged in the pool, after which death occurs in less than 3 minutes depending
on temperature conditions​ (4)​. The prototype must be able to detect the still object (used
as prop for a person) within 20-30 seconds, allowing enough time for the person to be
rescued.

2.​ ​ ​Successful Communication

The prototype’s alarm system successfully responds to the detector (i.e. turns on when
still object detected) and its response is not affected by background noise/signals

3.​ N
​ ot affected by Environment
In the interim report it was stated that our final product should not be affected by
environmental factors such as temperature, the activities of other people etc. For the
prototype, the aim will be for it not to be affected by ambient light and objects floating on
the surface of the water.

4.​ C
​ ost
The prototype must not exceed our £100 budget as one of our product’s main selling
points is its low price as stated in the interim report.

5.​ F
​ alse Negatives
This has not changed from the interim report as it is a core requirement; the prototype
must not fail to detect the still object (i.e. the person drowning) as not fulfilling this defeats
the purpose of the idea.

6.​ T
​ he system must satisfy the user’s desire for privacy
The system must respect the user’s privacy always. This is defined as meaning that no
information other that the physical location and general shape of the persons and objects
in the pool should be acquired and processed​ (5)​. This objective remains unchanged as it
can be achieved with the prototype.

7.​ D
​ urable and Robust
The prototype’s performance must not diminish after undergoing multiple tests and
should not require any fine-tuning and reconfiguration after each test. Also, it should not
be too delicate such that merely holding the containers impacts the detector’s
performance (this was a problem during the testing stage).

8.​ T
​ he system should be aesthetically pleasing
Naturally prototypes and final products have different standards for what is aesthetically
pleasing. For the prototype this means that there should not be any loose wires, the
breadboard should be clean etc. For the final product, it means it should not look
displeasing to the eye or clunky.
Page 5
 These criteria above must be applicable to both the prototype and the implemented system;
whereas below are the criteria from the interim report that were not used for the prototype but
must still be used for the final product:

1.​ I​ t must be easy to install

To avoid the cost expenditure of having long installation periods, and to ensure customer
satisfaction, this criteria must be met.

2.​ T
​ he system must be highly scalable
As the prototype is small, it’s functionality is only relevant if it can be accurately scaled to a
size comparable with that of a pool, in order to ensure that it can function as intended.

3.​ T
​ he system must have minimal effect on the environment and on its users
As is consistent with measurement devices, minimal impact on the environment it is
measuring is vital. This also extends to aesthetics and safety; the system must have a
minimal visual impact to ensure user satisfaction, and also must be safe for the user.

These were not practical for the prototype and were not needed to demonstrate a proof of
concept, but rather focused on the features that would give us an advantage in the market (not
relevant at this early stage).

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Concept Designs Considered
As discussed in the interim report, it was established that an arduino uno board will
be implemented as a central processor, and act as a ‘hub’ for the algorithm implementation
and controlling external networks.
Therefore, in this section, it is discussed how the external networks were considered
and chosen, and is split up into two sections; the considerations of the sensor network and
of the communications network.

Sensor Network
In order to arrive at the current solution, a number of potential designs were
fabricated, each of which was carefully considered; this included arranging a meeting with an
Imperial College Lecturer, Dr Oleksiy Sydoruk, to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of
each method.

Ultrasound
The first design that was considered was that of one analogous to a sonar system;
through the use of reflected ultrasound waves, it would be possible to theoretically track a
person’s position whilst they are swimming in a pool. It would use an ultrasound transducer
in the bottom corner of the pool, which would perform this tracking, and relay the information
to a central processing unit outside of the pool.
However, upon discussing this idea with our project supervisor and Dr Sydoruk, it
became clear that for the single transducer to function as intended, it would require a very
high power; and so introduce many unwanted reflections from sources such as the sides of
the pool, and the rippling surface of the water. Therefore, an alternative to this would be to
use multiple low power transducers along the bottom of the pool, positioned in the centre, as
seen below.

Side View

Top View

Figure 1.

As seen from this diagram, this method does introduce regions of inaccuracy, which
would only be minimized by increasing the number of transducers, which would dramatically
increase the cost of the system. The implementation of the system would also be quite
difficult, as the power calibration in order to minimize overlap between transducers would
need to be very precise, and potentially very difficult in prototyping.

Page 7
Optical/ Laser Grid
Another system that was considered and discussed with Dr Sydoruk was that of a
laser grid; in which a series of lasers and detectors are positioned on opposite sides of the
pool, each of which form a beam, which when broken feeds back into a central processor.
The processor then can determine if there is a potential drowning incident based on which
beams are broken, how many of them, and for how long.
However, the same considerations of power were made, and the same issue of
reflections arose. This is even more of a concern for lasers, as they are much more
directional than ultrasound, and so can be deflected by only a matter of a few degrees and
present an issue. Safety is also a concern, as lasers can be damaging to view directly, and
with deflections there is a possibility of this occurring.
This lead to the consideration of not using lasers, but some other optical radiation of
lower intensity, as the grid algorithm seemed quite feasible. Therefore, it was proposed to
use the same framework, but with a purplish/UV light (~400nm, as discussed in the interim
report) to minimise absorption. This is shown below

Figure 2.

Page 8
Infrared/ Optical Camera
Another alternative system that was considered was to implement a live camera feed
of the pool. From this, the lifeguard could obtain multiple vantage points to observe the pool,
and so minimize the chance of not identifying a drowning victim. Advanced algorithms could
also be implemented which automatically detect a person drowning. The system is shown in
the diagram below.

Top View

However, this method has multiple issues associated with it. Firstly, personal privacy
is something that needs to be considered, and users will most probably not be partial to the
idea of being observed whilst they are swimming. Secondly, the data stream required for the
transmission of the live feed must be quite sophisticated in order to handle much data, and
will therefore be expensive. Finally, the algorithm to detect a drowning person would be
extremely difficult to develop, especially with limited processing power.
Also, with regards to using infrared cameras in particular, temperature fluctuations
and irregularities make it difficult to determine the exact borders of the shape of a moving
body.

Communications Network
Similarly to the sensor network, the communications network underwent multiple
iterations of potential designs before a final one was decided upon.

Infrared
The first communications method that was considered was to use infrared radiation
as the carrier to notify an external circuit of a potential drowning incident.
From further research, it became clear that whilst infrared would be simple to
implement, it does not possess the range or penetration strength required to transmit over
the distances required.
As a further consideration; the system will be operating under slightly warmer
conditions than typical room temperature. This will result in the ambient infrared radiation
being more prevalent and so will introduce more noise, and result in a less reliable
communication channel.

Page 9
Bluetooth
The next method of communication that was considered was the use of Bluetooth, an
Ultra High Frequency (UHV) radiowave technology that is used to communicate between
electronic devices.
However, upon researching the implementation of this, it was found that it would not
support the transmission of notifications to multiple devices from the same hub. It would also
not directly support circuits and hardware designed by our project team.
Therefore, because of these drawbacks, an alternative communication method to
Bluetooth was sought.

Radio
Taking inspiration from bluetooth and the radio frequency carrier it uses, taking a
step down to a lower level design and implementing radio was considered. Upon further
research, a module pair was found that modulates frequency using Frequency Shift Keying
in the radio frequency band was found.
The modulator circuit could then be built alongside the hub and easily integrated into
the main circuit diagram due to it’s low level nature. It could then transmit any warning signal
to the external alarm circuit, due to the flexibility of the transmission.

Page 10
 Concept Selection
In this section each system was considered, and a Pugh decision matrix (6) was
used to determine the most optimal solution. Pugh matrices take into account the relative
importance of each design criteria, which is vital in order to select the most optimal solution.
The Pugh matrix method requires a base case for comparison, thus for the sensor concept
ultrasound will be used and for the communication bluetooth will be used.

Sensor Concept:
Design Criteria Ultrasound Weighting Optical Infrared/ Optical Laser Grid
Grid Camera

Fast Detection 0 4 0 0 +4

Cost 0 3 +3 -3 0

Privacy 0 2 0 -2 0

Not affected by 0 4 +4 0 -4
environment

Accuracy 0 3 +3 -3 +3

Total 0 - +10 -8 +3

Communication Concept:
Design Criteria Bluetooth Weighting Radio Infrared

Distance 0 4 +4 -4

Cost 0 3 +3 0

Unaffected by 0 4 0 0
background
noise/signals

Scalability 0 2 +2 0

Multiple Device 0 2 +2 0
Support

Penetration 0 3 +3 -3

Total 0 - +14 -7

As is evident from the Pugh matrices, solutions to both the communication and
sensor concepts were obtained. The sensors network would use an optical grid, whilst the
communications network would implement a radio frequency FSK modulated system.

Page 11
Concept development

Prototype Design
The top level design of the prototype is shown below; it was used to help achieve the
following:
1. To prove that viable position (and thus motion) tracking can be implemented using
LEDs underwater.
2. To explore some of the problems that might be encountered with such a system.
3. To help estimate the cost of such a system in a real world application.

Figure 3.
The system was implemented using the following components:
1. Arduino Uno as the processor.
2. Eight (8) BIVAR UV5TZ-400-30 LEDS to implement LED Array system.
3. Eight (8) SFH 300 Phototransistors to implement Sensor Array system.
4. Analogue multiplexer, as Sensor Data Selector.
5. Digital multiplexer, as LED selector.
6. A Frequency Shift Keying Modulating chip with Antenna as Transmitter
7. An FSK demodulator with Antenna as Receiver.
The circuit diagram for the prototype system is shown in Figure 2 below.:

Page 12
Figure 4

Page 13
 The prototype is a test tank with embedded LEDs on one side and aligned Sensors
on the other. They are all connected to an Arduino through demultiplexers and multiplexers
as shown above. The Arduino is then able to switch between each LED and determine which
light beams have been obstructed. It then processes this information to determine if
someone is “drowning”.
Experimentation with the prototype proved that it was possible to estimate the
position of an object in a pool, however it also highlighted various problems and
complications that might be encountered in making a practical system. The most important
being the reduction in power of the propagated light over the distance of the pool.
The length, breadth and height of the test tank used were 51 cm, 32 cm and 17 cm
respectively, which meant that light from the LED had to propagate over a distance of
roughly 32 cm. The relationship of the distance between the LED and the sensor voltage,
using the circuit shown in Figure ?, was as follows:

Figure 5

Separation Distance (cm) Photodiode Voltage (V)

1 3.25

3 3.25

5 3.25

10 3.23

15 3.23

17 2.72

20 1.86

22 1.78

27 1.23

33 1.13

Page 14
 Figure 6
As the relationship between the light intensity incident on a phototransistor and the
current it outputs is not strictly linear​(7)​, it is difficult to determine the exact relationship
between LED-sensor distance and the output voltage. However, the inverse-square law​(8)
serves as an explanation for the figure obtained, since the collector current output by the
phototransistor increases with power of light detected at its base.
This leads to the conclusion that there is a limit to the maximum LED-sensor distance
that can be implemented in the design for it to function properly and that this limit is
approached quickly due to the inverse square law.
One possible solution to this is to amplify the sensor’s output voltage for use.
However, this would also greatly increase the effect of noise in the system and considering
the purpose of the design, it is not a viable option. Additionally, the long transmission lines in
the prototype mean that the system is quite likely susceptible to noise.
An alternative solution is to increase the light intensity received by the
phototransistors. This could be done in two ways: Either by increasing the power generated
by the LEDs (by increasing the current running through them or using more powerful LEDs),
or by ensuring more of the power generated by the LEDs gets to the sensors (by possibly
using convex lenses to better direct the light).
These possible solutions were not required for the prototype, as the LED-Sensor
distance was 33 cm caused the voltage swing to be large enough for the prototype’s
purpose to be achieved. More testing will need to be done in the future.

Page 15
Algorithm Used
The algorithm implemented on the Arduino Uno processor is a simple ‘make and
break’ implementation as can be seen in Figure ?. The Arduino first takes readings of the
voltage values of the sensors when the LEDs are on and when they are off. Using these
values as a baseline, it cycles through each LED-Sensor pair and compares the Sensor
output voltage to the reference values to determine what is occurring at every point in the
test tank.
These results are then put together to reach a conclusion on whether or not an
individual is currently drowning in the pool. For the prototype, as a demonstration, the
minimum meaningful width of an obstacle has been set as equivalent to that of three sensor
lengths. This was to help make mention of​ the problem of setting fixed minimum dimensions
for obstacles, or in real world applications, anatomical dimensions of swimmers, during a
demonstration.

Modules
The device consists of three modules; sensor module, hub and a notification device.

The sensor module, as seen in figure 7, is a thin plastic strip containing multiple
alternating light emitters and light sensors. It is one metre in length and has connectors on
both ends. Multiple sensor modules are attached to each other to make up a continuous
array of emitters and sensors which connects to the hub.

Figure 7, Front View of Sensor Module

In each sensor module, there is a microcontroller, an 8-channel analogue multiplexer,

an 8-channel demultiplexer, eight sensors and eight emitters. The microcontroller collects
information from the sensors one at a time using the multiplexer and turns on the emitters
one at a time using the demultiplexer. This is done in synchrony with the opposing sensor
module on the other side of the pool, as can be seen in figure 8. The microcontroller also
receives sensor information from neighbouring modules to avoid blind spots.
This information is used by the microcontroller to determine if there is a possible
drowning incident. In the case of a detected drowning incident, an emergency signal is
passed down to the hub through the other sensor modules.

Page 16
 Figure 8, Sensor Module Scan Procedure

The hub, comprising of a microcontroller and a radio transmitter, is connected to the

end of both sensor arrays. It supplies power to the sensor modules and a pulsing signal to
synchronise all the sensor modules. If the hub receives an emergency signal from the
sensor modules it will transmit this information to the notification device.

The notification device contains a microprocessor, a radio receiver, a speaker, a light

and battery holders. When operating, the device will be constantly receiving information from
the hub. This allows the notification device to notify the user if a connection error occurs. In
case of a drowning incident the notification device will receive an emergency signal from the
hub and will start the alarm. The speaker will generate an audio alarm and the light, a visible
alarm.

Manufacturing
One of the design criteria is to keep the device affordable. This can be accomplished
by limiting the manufacturing costs and the complexity of the system. Modularising the
device achieves both criteria. From the manufacturing perspective, only a few components
are produced with no variance which allows the construction process to be streamlined.

Figure 9 Side View of Sensor Module

As seen in figure 9 the sensor module consists of a hard-plastic base structure where
most of the electrical components are located. The LEDs and sensors are fixed to the top of
this base structure. A synthetic cover will encompass these exposed components to protect
them. This way, the modules are made waterproof and can be used to line the walls of the
swimming pool.

Page 17
Notification Device
In this section, the development of the design for the notification circuit is discussed,
along with experimental issues that were encountered and overcome.

Figure 10, Transmitter Module

Figure 11, Receiver Module

In the transmitter module, the source signal from the arduino processor will be sent to
the RF module transmitter QFM-TX1-433 to be modulated using frequency shift keying. The
modulated signal is then transmitted via an antenna.
In the receiver module, the modulated signal is received by a separate antenna. The
RF receiver QFM-RX1-433 then performs demodulation and outputs binary strings, which
are then input into the microcontroller (Attiny85). If the alarm needs to be triggered, pin 6 of
microcontroller will output a square wave of 6V magnitude, causing the buzzer to ring.

The microprocessor and RF receiver both have a 5V operating voltage while buzzer
has a 6V operating voltage, therefore the overall power supply is set at 6V and diodes D2
and D3 are added to drop the power supply of the microprocessor and RF module to 5.3V.
To avoid fluctuations in the power supply damaging the microcontroller, capacitor C1
is added to remove high frequency components. Also, since the buzzer is a coil, D1 is added
as a flyback diode to avoid voltage spikes when Q1 is switching.

One problem encountered was the arduino board used to drive the transmitter
running at a higher clock frequency compared to the microprocessor. Thus it became
Page 18
possible that the transmitted signal could not be fully recovered by the microprocessor. This
can be solved through line coding, as follows.
The source signal from the sensor module is run at 500Hz using a unipolar
return-to-zero line coding. The RF module receiver has a minimum signal frequency of
300Hz and it was observed through experimentation that the maximum time the demodulator
can output a high signal continuously is around 1.6 milliseconds. This means that
return-to-zero coding can be used to ensure that a continuous high signal is demodulated
properly. Higher frequencies are not used since the minimum time for the delay command in
an Arduino is 1 millisecond.

Another problem that was encountered was the impact of noise on the RF receiver.
Through our testing it was found that although the RF receiver outputs a clean signal when
the transmitter is transmitting, it also outputs noise of similar magnitude when the transmitter
is not transmitting. It can be therefore concluded that the RF receiver has a built-in amplifier
that magnifies the noise when no signal is detected.
Although the buzzer is triggered when the transmitter signal is not received, it was
decided to leave this in place since it acts as an indication of when the receiver is out of
range, or the transmitter is turned off unexpectedly. Also, the impact of noise is negligible
when the transmitter is transmitting, so it does not impact the robustness of the whole
device.

From these considerations, the encoding system as shown in figure 12 was

implemented. Here the eight high bits padded with zeros represent the transmitted bits. For
the buzzer on command, all the eight bits are ones, while for a buzzer off command, only the
first transmitted bit is a one while the rest are zeros.

The receiver will then measure the number of high bits in each word to determine
which signal is being sent. When the number of high bits is greater than or equal to 4, the
signal is interpreted as an instruction to turn on the buzzer, otherwise it is interpreted as an
instruction to turn off the buzzer.

Figure 12.
Through experimental observation, it was found that the ‘off’ signal is almost always
decoded properly but the ‘on’ signal had a chance of not being decoded properly. Thus an
adder variable was implemented in the code to keep a weighted sum of all previous
readings.
If the last command received is ‘on’, 256 is added to adder. If the last command
received is ‘off’, the adder remains the same. When a new command is received, the adder
value will be multiplied with 15/16. Thus a string of ‘on’ commands will cause the adder value
to approach 4096, and a string of ‘off’ commands will cause the adder value to approach 0.
When the adder value is higher than 2048, the buzzer will ring continuously. Thus, the
receiver aims to correct the effect of communication errors in the channel
The estimated cost of the receiver module is £8.22. Ideally in the manufacturing
process, the microprocessor and RF module receiver would be mounted onto a printed
circuit board, and housed, to make it portable.

Page 19
Estimated Costs of Manufacture
To estimate the cost of manufacture of the modules and thus implementing the system in an
actual pool, various large assumptions are made:
1. That powerful enough LEDs can be obtained or made (using the convex lens
approach discussed previously).
2. That appropriate sensors for the distances involved can be obtained.
3. The prices for these ideal sensors and LEDs are close to that of the current sensors
and LEDs used.
4. That the price of manufacture and construction is minimal compared to that of the
components used.
With the prices of the components used for the prototype along with additional components
that could be used as follows:

Component Name Function Price / £ Number used per module

Arduino Uno Hub 15.16​(9) 1
ATTiny85 Module Microcontroller 1.51​(10) 1
(11)
CD4051BE Analog Multiplexer 0.45​ 1
(12)
CD74HCT238 Digital Demultiplexer 0.55​ 1
CD4520BE 4 Bit Counter 0.49​(13) 1
(14)
UV5TZ-400-30 LEDs 1.12​ 8
(15)
SFH300-3/4 Sensors 0.27​ 8
QFM-TX1 Radio Transmitter 4.53​(16) 1
(17)
QFM-RX1 Radio Receiver 4.34​ 1
(18)
ABT-414-RC Buzzer 1.41​ 1

From this, the total cost of manufacture, with the previous assumptions made, comes
to £14.136 per sensor module, plus £15.16 for the hub, and £8.87 for the communications
module. Please note that this estimation disregards the physical manufacturing costs, the
plastic materials and discounts from buying in bulk.
For an average pool of length 25 m, 50 modules would be used (25 for both sides) as
each module is 1 m long. Thus, this concept design would cost £730.83 which when
compared with competing products, is more cost effective.

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Competitors

One of our biggest competitors would be Poseidon Technologies, Inc. They provide a
highly technological monitoring system to help lifeguards in public swimming pools. Their
system is made up of several overhead cameras as well as underwater cameras. These
cameras track swimmers and if they remain stationary on the pool floor for over 10 seconds
an alarm is activated​(19)​. The location of the victim is also displayed on an LED display to
help lifeguards locate the victim.

Poseidon was first installed in the year 2000 and is currently only installed in about
230 swimming pools today​(19)​. During this time, Poseidon has helped save 27 lives. One of
the reasons this system is not more common is due to the price, as installing Poseidon can
exceed £100,000​(20)​.

As previously discussed our system accomplishes the same task but for only a
fraction of the cost. A lower cost means more users can utilise this technology and as a
result more lives will be saved.

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Project Management

The Gantt chart above was used to help track the progress of the project. As
deadlines had already been set for every stage of the report, this was achieved with relative
ease. However, some project tasks were removed from the plan to ensure that the final
deliverable was functional for a proper demonstration. This is indicated on the Gantt chart by
a zero percent label.
A task was also added after much deliberation as it became apparent to the group
that a live simulation would be required to more effectively present the concept to the
audience. This task is being done in conjunction with the development and debugging of the
prototype.

In general, to organize the work that needed to be done, the group was split in two:
the sensor prototype group and the communications group. The members of the former were
Ian Rossuck, Omotade Iluromi, Benedikt Kolbeinsson and Louis Tsz Won, whilst the
members of the Communications Group were Qihao Shan, Abdul Nur and George
Ainscough. This was necessary as the project could effectively be split into two parts along
with the two groups formed.
A constant channel of communication between the two groups was maintained at all
times. Additionally, in order to ensure that the two systems were compatible with one
another at the time of amalgamation, the group secretary (Omotade Iluromi) was tasked with
checking in on and understanding both sides of the project.
As it stands, the project is almost complete and thus the group has also been
focused on the content, including the simulation, of the presentation.

Page 22
Future Work
​

Before discussing the future work to be embarked upon by the group, it is important
to note that regardless of any changes made to the design specifications and concept
design, cost-effectiveness will always be at the core of the project, as that is the trait that
separates this system from it’s competitors.
However, as discussed in the report, there is room for increase in the accuracy and
reliability of the design. The next steps to be taken will include research into solving the
problems outlined concerning scaling the design to actual pool dimensions.
This includes research into embedding convex lenses in the sensor module design to
more effectively utilize the electromagnetic power generated from the LEDs, as well as
possibly acquiring higher power LEDs that would be able to function at the distances
required.
Additionally, the effective modularization of the design needs to be further developed.
This includes safety considerations with regards to transmission lines underwater as well as
ensuring watertight modules to ensure the reliability of the design. Power systems also need
to be considered to ensure constant functionality of the device, such as energy harvesting
devices, or renewable power supplies.
With regards to the accuracy of the device, more research needs to be made into
possibly utilizing sensor arrays along the depth of the pool as well. One reason this was not
considered was the relationship between the number of modules required and the cost of
said modules. More research needs to be made in this area to see if it is possible to do so
while maintaining the cost effectiveness of the design.
If the project were allocated a longer time frame, further progress into original ideas
could be made, in tandem with polishing the final design further. This includes implementing
smartphone notifications, and developing PCBs and professional housing etc.

Conclusion
From the findings of the report, it can be argued that the proposed system’s
increased cost-effectiveness over that of its competitor’s comes at an increased risk to the
lives of the swimmers due to an increase in the likelihood of non-detection.
However, it should be noted that access to the slightly more accurate technology is
quite limited as for instance, the company Poseidon services only about 230 pools​(19) in the
world. Solving this problem has always been the aim of PoolNet​(21) and with some more
investment in the proposed solution, it can be fully realized.

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