Covid-19 Project Idea: Emergency Button for Elderly

This device can help your relatives to send some information to you by push notification to your phone.

If they need you to go and get some groceries for them or they just want to see you and they are not that good with the mobile phone just put this button onto their table and tell them to press it whenever they need something.

You can then contact them on your own or go and visit them.

1. Build hardware

You will need the Sigfox Module, Mini Battery Module, and Core Module - NR. It can run on 2 battery cells so you will be ok with the Mini Battery Module.

Put it all together as shown on the picture below and you will be ready to move onto the next step

This is how it should look when you are finished with the assembly.

2. Flash firmware

• Download HARDWARIO Playground,
• Flash firmware to the Core Module that was made for this project. You will find in the Playground by name: bcf-sigfox-push-button
• How to flash firmware is shown in the documentation.

3. Set up your push notification

For the notification, we will use the Pushed application.

• Download the application on the phone where you want to receive the notification if your relative presses the button. You can also use just the browser version.

• Create an account so you can create your custom application
• Go to this page: https://account.pushed.co/apps
• Add new application (with the free account you are able to make one application for free)

• Give it a name and some description
• You can configure the application for your needs. Set an icon of the application, etc.
• Click on your "QR Subscription Link" so you can see your app QR code.
• If you are using a mobile app, open it on your phone.
• Press the + button in the upper right corner
• Press the QR code icon on the same place
• After you scan the QR code from your screen you should see this screen

4. Configure Sigfox connectivity

• Go to the sigfox web page and log in to your account.
• Select Device Type

• Add New device

• Create your device type with some name, it can be something like Grandpa Emergency Button
• Go to the Callbacks-> New -> Custom Callback

• Set the callback up as shown below(for the X-Api-Key) contact HARDWARIO Support
• Set up the callback so you are able to get the notification after your relative press the button

• You will find the app key and app secret in the pushed app settings.
• Replace it in the following snippet and copy it into the Callback Settings Body
• You can also choose your message in the content part

app_key=APP_KEY&app_secret=APP_SECRET&target_type=app&content=Can you please come and make some chores for me?

• Confirm the callback settings

4. Test your device

After you did the whole setup in the sigfox backend and pushed application you are ready to send some messages by the button press. So test it out just by pressing the button and you should receive the notification just as you configured it.

Next steps and ideas

You can put one device and place it onto some doors that will likely be opened/closed frequently like bathroom doors, front door, etc. And configure a similar notification if there is no door movement in some time, this will let you know that maybe something is not right and you can visit to make sure everything is ok.

Summary

You can put more devices around the house so your relatives can always reach it if they need you.

You can replace this one button for all the buttons on your relative's mobile phone, There is a possibility to configure more than a button press, you can also add button hold, etc. With this, you will be able to set up more than just one type of message.

Feel free to ask any questions about this project.

• Visit HARDWARIO page on hackster.io for more interesting projects or go directly to their website
• Go to HARDWARIO documentation to learn more about their modules and other possibilities of the platform.
• Try more firmware from HARDWARIO Playground or write your own, it is easy to start.
• Because everything is Open source you can get all firmware on GitHub, get some inspiration and try to make your own applications.
• Get your own HARDWARIO Hub to replace your computer in this project so you have always access to your applications.
• Check out more applications that can be used with HARDWARIO IoT Kit in Integrations section.