Keep everything in line with the WisTrio NB-IoT Tracker Pro and Inline Technology
Project Summary
A challenging and innovative approach to asset tracking. This project is an asset tracker like no other, a bracelet that a person wears around their ankle to track their location, and biometrics to report back to a central station. The need for such a product comes from specific circumstances in which these individuals are required to wear an electronic tagging device either for law enforcement or medical reasons.
Company Profile
Inline Technology is a custom solutions developer located in Ohio, USA. They are specializing in unique short-run projects that leverage modern software and hardware technology. The company offers Full-Stack software development along with hardware integration including cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, IoT, and others.
The Challenge
The vision for this project was asset tracking with a new approach. An entire system is built from the ground up to track assets via GPS through a cellular network using the Internet of Things (IoT/M2M). The goal was a complete solution that includes text message notifications, SQL database storage, Azure Data Services, Portal Website, and custom prototypes of next-generation products using internal 3D design services, 3D and laser printers. All development was to be made in-house.
RAK Product Used
The Solution
Inline Technology’s development team always plans on creating unique solutions that leverage IoT technology in any form that a project requires. Each project has its challenges and they found that RAK products have a large amount of flexibility that this project, as well as future ones, will require.
The team decided on an approach where they will evolve an existing two-part product into a single self-contained device.
The company started with redeveloping the starting product that their client needed to be upgraded. It was a two-part device consisting of a cell phone running custom software and a bracelet that used Bluetooth to send biometric data to the phone. The phone would then send the data to the server. This is a system with many potential points of failure so the client needed something more reliable.
The new device – Tamatrac – is a one-piece anklet that uses the RAK5010 WisTrio NB-IoT Tracker Pro as the mainboard. Custom software developed by the team and run on the RAK5010 gives the option of the device being used either as a GPS-only device or, using the SPI interface, connect an additional sensor that’ll monitor alcohol and drugs levels i n the wearers’ system.
Outcome
Prototyping with the WisTrio NB-IoT Tracker Pro including custom firmware helped the development process from inception to a fully working product. Custom firmware was developed in Arduino and through external pins, a chemical sensor was added for biometric data. While the RAK5010 has more features than what is currently needed for this project, it was the best solution to base a new product on.
The development and deployment of the project took us about two years and it now spreads in several regions including throughout US and Canada, but testing is in progress in El Salvador and other countries as well.
The device can now be used as an electronic tagging solution that can be fitted above the ankle of people as part of their bail or probation conditions. It can also be used in healthcare settings and the immigration context.
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