Developing an Android application in conjunction with BLE beacons 1

• Main Author: Pek, Qiujun
• Other Authors: Cheng Tee Hiang
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2022
• Subjects: Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/157478
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Bluetooth beacons are a class of Bluetooth low energy (LE) devices that broadcast their identifier to nearby portable electronic devices. The technology enables smartphones, tablets, and other devices to perform actions when near a beacon. The objective of this project is to survey and experiment with some low cost BLE beacons and develop an android-based application using the features if BLE beacons. For example, the project student may develop a tracking application which could simultaneously track several BLE beacons. The system could be used to track the location of kids and such objects as handphone, keys, wallets, and bags etc. All is needed is for a BLE beacon to be carried by a kid or tagged to an object to be tracked. The tracking application may trigger an alarm when the object being tracked is more than certain distance away from the android phone. In the handphone tracking application, a user may carry a BLE beacon with him, and when his handphone that runs the tracking application is certain distance away from him, an alarm will be sounded to alert him. If time permits, the project student may optimize the power consumption of the tracking system to save on handphone power consumption. The abovementioned tracking application serves as an example. Project student may work on a different application exploiting the capability of BLE beacons. Students who are interested in the project are expected to be self-motivated, maintain an electronic logbook (to cultivate the habit of maintaining good documentation), and make about four short presentations on the progress of the project (to develop good presentation skills).