Week 4: Learning how to make a signal jammier and How it's work

Last Tuesday me and Jason we have discussed how we are going to make the signal jammier for our project "text-walking accident avoiding system on traffic lights". That is the first thing we are going to start up with. We have done some researches and found how a signal jammier works. We are trying to make it work on radius of less than five meters. Because we can't disturb other drivers or other people around that area.

Basic operation of a signal jammier

Cell phones works by communicating with it's service network through a signal tower or a base station. So, when you move one place to another signal is handed from tower to tower. And cell phone are using radio frequencies to communicate with towers.

Fig 1: How cell phone signal works (howstuffworks.com) 

 What jamming device do is transmitting on the same radio frequency as the cell phone and disturb the communication between cell phone and the base station in the tower. they call it denial-of-service attack. Jamming device transmitting a signal on same frequency and at high enough power so the two signals collide and cancel each other out.

Fig 2: how jamming device works (howstuffworkes.com)

So now we know how a signal jammier works. But we need to find out whats the frequency cell phones are using for the communicate. As I found out they use two separate frequencies, one for talking and one for listening. When you block one frequency cell phone are trick to think there is no signal when its get only one frequency. So, its effective to block only one signal.
To jam signal we need to make a device that transmit same radio frequency as cell phone. Most of the cell phones are using radio frequency between 0.9GHz to 1.9GHz. And depends on the continental you are in, its changing.

What we need to make a signal jammier

Basically as I found out we need the antenna, circuitry and power supply to make a signal jammier. Below are the main electric components we need to have in our circuit.

1. Voltage controlled oscillator- this creates the radio signal 
2. Tuning circuit- this controls frequency at which the jammier broadcast its signal by sending particular voltage to the oscillator. 
3. Noise generator- this is to creates random electronic output in a specified frequency to jam the cell phone network signal. 
4. RF amplification- this thing boost the power of the radio frequency out put to high enough level to jam signal.

This is what we found on signal jammier and Jason found a circuit diagram on signal jammier. We are planing to use it as our guide to make the jammier. Hope we can make a strong enough jammier to disrupt the cell phone signal around traffic lights.

Fig 3: Circuit diagram Jason found (Reference unknown)

 And that's all for the week. hope this information's here are enough to understand how a signal jammier works. Feel free to leave a comment below if I wasn't cover anything.

See you until next time,

Derick
   

Week 3

With the all the researches and solutions we found on text-walking last week we have submitted our project proposal to Dr. Roman Kudin and Mr. Vijay Naidu.  We have done our presentation on last Friday. In our project proposal we have explained what are the two problems we came up with which are text-walking and distracted drivers who drives with a baby. But we have selected text-walking as our problem. And I have included on the proposal evidence that we found on text-walking is existing problem. Also we have include solutions it has currently, our solution and Gantt chart.

Fig 1: Proposal content 

Fig 2: Proposal front page

In the Presentation me and Jason have explained our problem and we showed different articles and researches from different countries. And also we explained what are the solutions that are taken by different countries to solve this problem. Some countries have stared fine text walkers. More solutions are on testing stage because this problem is just starting to increase day by day.

Fig 3: Presenting Survey results from different countries (taken  by Iqwan)

Fig 4: Introducing text-walking problem (taken  by Iqwan)

Middle of the presentation Jason has explained our solution. Our solution is use a Signal Jammier to block signals around pedestrian crossing up to 4 or 5 meters and install a traffic lights on the ground. So in case still someone looking down at your phone you might see the ground traffic lights. We are planing to build our own signal jammier so we can make a signal jammier that can adjust the parameter it works. Who ever comes inside that parameter they cant text walk inside there. 

Fig 5: Explaining our solution (taken by Iqwan) 

Fig 6: Our solution plan

End of the presentation Dr Roman Kudin guided us to try to find a way to limit the signal jammier only to work for pedestrians not disturbing nearby restaurants or other places. He also said that installing ground traffic lights on every intersection will be a big cost. And Mr. Vijay Naidu said we need to make the signal jammier adjustable so we can use it to any intersection. All the intersection are not in same size. So it should be adjustable. They gave us some good ideas to go on our projects. 

Fig 7: While giving us advises for the project (taken by Iqwan) 

Week 2 - Text-Walking Addiction

According to various research done by different researcher's it has found text-walking is more dangerous than distracted driving. According to test done by the University Of Queensland they confirmed people cant walk in a straight line while texting. And people are walking slower when texting than they are walking without texting. The University of Queensland also found that most of people who participate in research lost balance and focus of their surrounding while text-walking.

The research also found in New Zealand in year 2013 35 people were reported to ACC injured while text-walking.

Figure 1:Text Walking (travelwayfinding.com)

Figure 2: Sarah Jessica Parker texts on the move (telegraph.co.uk)

Now a days new rules are introducing to reduce accidents that occurs from text walking. In Belgian city, they introduce a new text walking lane for smart phone addicts. So the smartphone addicts wont disturb the other road users.

Figure 3: Text walking lane Belgian (digitaltrends.com)

In Germany they have introduce a new traffic lights on the ground level. so the text walkers don't have to look up. They will notice the traffic lights on the ground as they already looking at down. According to European survey they have found 20% of pedestrians are distracted by smarts phones that creates various dangerous situations to drivers and other pedestrians. 

Week 1- Choosing a problem

Last week me and my partner Jason who I'm doing the project with discussed what are the problems we are facing in transport sector. Jason came up with few problems they are facing in Malaysia. One of them are considerable amount of kills in Malaysia happens from motorbike accidents. we discussed inventing some thing that can reduce motorbike accidents.

Another problem is people texting while walking and meet with an accidents in near traffic lights. so we thought make something that can alert people when they comes near to a pedestrian crossing. Those are some of the ideas Jason had.

Text while walking (strawderman.com)

I experience one problem when I'm driving with my house mate. He has 6 months old baby. sometime he's driving alone with her and there is a rule in New Zealand we can't keep the baby seat in front seat it has to be back seat and facing rear ward. So he has to use a small mirror that hangs on the seat to see her while driving. That makes him hard to concentrate on road. so i thought of inventing something that can solve this problem.These are the problems we came up with.

We have discussed these problems with our lecturer and planing to go on with the problem text while walking.

That's all for the week. Catch You on next week.

Derick