bitlink

4.5 Design Challenge!

• Introduction

  In this lesson you will put all of the knowledge you have learned so far to the test!
  
• New Concept
  What is a Smart City?
  • What is a Smart City?
    
  • What are some positives and negatives of making your city smarter?
    
  • What are some current examples of ways that your local city is becoming smarter?
    
  • What types of infrastructure can be improved through technology? (e.g. buildings, roads, city lights, car parks, community squares / gardens, etc)
    
  • What are some methods that technology can use to communicate with other systems? (e.g. Wi-Fi, Infrared (IR), GPS, Bluetooth, Broadcast Radio (AM/FM), Microwave radio (GHz, Mbps), RFID, Radar, etc)
• Design Challenge
  Design a Smart City

  You have been tasked with designing an ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) Smart City system. You must work collaboratively with others in order to identify a real-world problem to be solved and then design a real-world solution to solve that problem.
  

  • You must work in a group of approximately 6 people and have 3 micro:bit kits to use for project.
    
  • Each group member must make meaningful contributions towards the group design process and final group design result.

  Required Devices

  • You will have 3 Bitlink kits to use for the challenge.
    This will mean that your group will have access to 3 micro:bits, 3 sensor:bits and 3 duplicates of each of the included sensors, devices and cables.

  Suggested Blocks

  • You must use your current knowledge of the micro:bit and block-based coding with MakeCode to put purposeful and meaningful contributions towards this challenge.
• Problems and Scenarios

  Work in your group to design your own problem or issue that needs solving on a Smart City.
  If you are stuck for ideas, here are some suggestions.

  • Smart Traffic Intersections
    
    • 2 traffic light systems interact with each other. When one system shows green, the other shows red.
    • Traffic lights switch between green, orange and red and communicate their colour changes to the other system.
    • Emergency vehicles can stop all traffic lights if a radio signal is sent out. If this happens, the traffic lights will blink orange.
    • Each traffic light system has a pedestrian button that can transition their traffic lights to red so that pedestrians can cross safely.

  • Smart Parking Spaces
    
    • While the magnetic sensor detects nothing, a radio message is sent to an LED display that alerts incoming drivers that the parking space is empty (for example: Free Space: 14E).
    • All free spaces are listed on the LED display and are updated continuously (for example: Free Spaces: 14E, 10G, 16L, 5M)
    • When the magnetic sensor detects another magnetic object in its allocated parking space, a radio message is sent to the LED display, alerting the display to remove that particular parking space from the ‘free space’ list. This radio message is continuously sent until the magnetic sensor no longer detects an object in the space.

  • Smart Rubbish Bins
    
    • A motion sensor is installed at the “full” mark of a rubbish bin.
    • The motion sensor checks for motion, every minute.
    • When the motion sensor continuously detects an object in its view for more than 10 minutes, this signifies that the rubbish bin is full and needs emptying.
    • A radio message is then sent out, notifying any garbage trucks within the radio’s range, that this bin is full (for example: “Bin 5, George St, FULL”).
    • The garbage truck can then come and empty this bin, and when the motion sensor no longer detects a constant object, the radio message is no longer sent.

  • Smart Tunnel
    
    • A tunnel is installed with magnetic sensors that, when disconnected, send a radio message and activate an alarm.
    • If a landslide, tunnel collapse, or collision accident occurs within the tunnel, the magnets are disconnected and the alerts are sent.
    • When the radio message is sent, both the entrance and exit of the tunnel display a warning message on an LED display that says “DO NOT ENTER: TUNNEL UNSTABLE”.
    • The radio message is also sent to the Emergency Services to notify them of the incident.
    • The alarm, the LED display and the radio message continue to be shown until they are switched off with a button press once the issue has been solved.

  • Smart Draw-Bridges
    
    • When a large boat approaches the draw-bridge, the captain presses a button which sends a radio message to the bridge, telling it to “OPEN BRIDGE”.
    • When this message is received, the draw bridge turns its traffic lights from green, to orange, to red in order to stop the traffic.
    • The draw-bridge then activates the servo motors and lifts the sections of the bridge.
    • Once the boat has passed, the captain presses a different button and sends a radio message to “CLOSE BRIDGE”.
    • Once this message is received, the draw-bridge activates the servo motors to close the bridge.
    • Once a motion sensor detects that the draw-bridge has closed, the traffic lights turn to green.

• Conclusion

  You've finished Module 4! In this module we've learned about traffic sensors, learned how to program streetlights and traffic lights, programmed ways to assist emergency services, and designed our own Smart City solutions.