Museum Alert

Museum Alert: Dual-Purpose IoT Security System for Cultural Heritage

Why Museum Alert?

Walking through smaller museums and cultural heritage sites, I couldn't help but notice the struggle. While grand institutions have sophisticated security systems and interactive displays, countless smaller museums operate on shoestring budgets with minimal staff: the challenge was clear - what if there was a way to help these places protect their stuff AND make visits more interesting for people? That's what led me to tinker around and build Museum Alert as a proof-of-concept prototype.

After researching the cultural heritage sector, I identified two gaps that existing solutions failed to address simultaneously:

• Basic Security Assistance: Small museums need affordable ways to prevent visitors from accidentally touching artifacts or entering restricted areas.
• Visitor Engagement: These same institutions struggle to provide interactive, informative experiences that larger museums offer.

Museums typically need separate systems for security and visitor engagement - one set of devices to protect artifacts and completely different tech to provide information to visitors. Museum Alert aims to combine both functions in a single, affordable IoT device.

The Technical Solution

Hardware: Arduino ESP32 at the Heart

The system centers around the Arduino Nano ESP32, chosen for its balance of capabilities:

• Wi-Fi connectivity for cloud communication via MQTT over TLS;
• Bluetooth Low Energy for proximity-based visitor notifications;
• GPIO pins for sensor integration;
• Cost-effective for budget-conscious institutions.

The ultrasonic distance sensor (HC-SR04) provides proximity detection, chosen over alternatives like:

• Laser tripwires (problematic with sunlight and animals);
• PIR sensors (too sensitive for museum environments);
• Camera systems (expensive and privacy concerns).

Ultrasonic sensors are virtually immune to environmental factors like lighting, dust, and temperature variations - perfect for diverse museum conditions.

The Dual Communication Architecture

Museum Alert employs a dual-channel approach:

Channel 1: Wi-Fi + MQTT for Security

• Sensors connect to local museum Wi-Fi;
• Real-time alerts sent to AWS cloud infrastructure via MQTT over TLS;
• Museum staff can receive instant notifications on client applications;
• Configurable distance thresholds per artifact.

Channel 2: Bluetooth LE for Visitor Engagement

• Sensors broadcast Eddystone-URL beacons;
• Beacons can contain information to allow any nearby mobile applications to retrieve any related dynamic content from remote sources (e.g.: museum's CMS system or inventory);
• Visitors can receive proximity-based notifications on their smartphones.

Cloud Infrastructure: Scalable AWS Backend

The backend leverages AWS CDK for infrastructure-as-code deployment.

Key components:

• AWS IoT Core for secure device communication;
• Lambda functions for serverless processing;
• DynamoDB for configuration storage.

Cross-Platform Desktop Application

Built with Angular + Electron, the desktop app provides:

• Device registration and onboarding workflow;
• Distance threshold configuration per sensor;
• Real-time alert diagnostics with visual dashboard;
• Eddystone-URL management for visitor content.

Sensor Setup Process (4 Easy Steps)

• Account Creation: Museum staff create account via desktop app;
• Wi-Fi Configuration: Connect sensors to museum network;
• Device Registration: Sensors auto-discover and join device pool;
• Customization: Set distance thresholds and visitor content.

The entire setup takes less than 2 minutes per sensor - no technical expertise required