Engineering Proposal – Writing For Engineers

Britney Reyes, Roberto Garcia, Wasee Chowdhury

Professor Collins

Writing for Engineers

May 1, 2019

IPS Research Proposal

Before cellular phones, there was no immediate way to locate a destination without a map or directions. Then came along GPS (Global Positioning System) and this solved many of the problems that people had in locating areas. GPS is very limited in how far it can take you. Once you reach a destination like a mall or an airport, it will not locate you to your proper destination. Let’s say you were to go to Queens Center Mall and searched how to reach the nearest H&M. You would be directed to the entrance of the mall but once there you would have to find the store yourself. With the introduction of the IPS (Indoor Positioning System), we would be able to locate you to your store. This technology isn’t only just used to locate a store within a mall, but map an indoor area to locate you to specific points within a building or a small outdoor venue. This innovation will merge with the current GPS available now to create a sort of “super GPS” which would have functionality indoors and out. We would use GPS up until you are around our indoor beacon and as soon as you are around the beacon, our IPS technology will kick in and locate you to your correct indoor location. We would completely eradicate the need for maps and outlines of buildings with our new technology.

This innovation we have come up with has been thought of before but as of yet, has not been released or fully mapped out. The only comparable innovation as of now that is even close to IPS and has been produced is GPS tracking. GPS programs such as Google Maps and Apple Maps use both 3D modeling of the modern landscape in locations as well as satellite tracking to pinpoint a person’s location. Based on this location, the apps create a pathway in which the user of these apps should take to get to their destination. Although this innovation is revolutionary in navigational technology, it still could be improved upon. One such improvement is furthering the details of how to get into the destination. This includes directions inside buildings that have a specific room or area wanted, or even knowing the entrance of a building. As of today, the 3D modeling for GPS of known apps is only an outside schematic of buildings. It has helped millions of people locate their destinations with easy to understand directions and it also has been helpful in many applications such as Uber or Lyft. These applications took the GPS technology and expanded it in order to create an app that can summon cars to your location and drop you off at your destination. With IPS the 3D modeling would be further improved on by delivering an almost exact detailing of a building’s interior. Not only this but since GPS is known to only pinpoint a buildings general area, the IPS will be able to pinpoint the entrance for general public use. The IPS would be able to make even old map outlines of malls or subway stations obsolete, being able to replace them with an interactable screen that will show you the direction to take to or out of the building. Lastly, the IPS can help foreign tourists from all over be able to look for their destination without having to struggle for directions by asking people that do not speak their native language. The IPS could direct people visually or in their language by programming the settings just like other GPS innovations. This, however, improves indoor use again since GPS cannot give directions indoors. With these types of improvements compared to GPS, the IPS can cut down the time to traverse areas even making daily life more efficient and in turn easier for everyone.

What the indoor positioning system does is make finding a location easier. There are several systems that work with the indoor positioning system. The differences within the positioning systems vary in price and how far the access points are from each other. The wifi system is well known but is more on the expensive side. It is agreed upon that the best type of system to use is the proximity-based system. Tags and beacons are what the proximity-based system use for indoor positioning. With the proximity-based system that we will be using, we will be focusing upon the reference- point based system. The type of beacon that will be best used is the Bluetooth Low Energy beacon. American Airlines has already started using this technology to help customers find terminals in a much easier way (“American Airlines and DFW Airport Confirm IBeacon Deployment”).

The way that the beacon works is by getting its location calculated from its reference point which connects it to the central access point. The access points locations are spaced out. What occurs is that the location data from the beacon access points connects with the consumers phone. This allows them to be able to navigate within the mall or airport easily. A proximity-based system is the cheapest from the rest of the systems that can be used for the indoor positioning systems. The way that the readers work is what makes the reference point based system the cheapest due to not needing many connected readers. Also, another benefit for using the Bluetooth Low Energy beacon is that it has lasting battery life. Bluetooth Low Energy beacon has many forms and it can specifically give us control of how we want the material, cost, and battery life. The beacon can easily be installed so no ITs are needed. It is secure due to the Bluetooth Low Energy beacons working within its own network and at the end will help the customers navigate wherever they need to go (Ray, Brian).

Kontakt will be our supplier of the BLE beacons that we will be using within public areas in order to make customer experience within the mall/airport easier. Kontakt makes sure that we will be able to have a certain platform so that customers can have an easier experience getting around. We will buy the beacons from our supplier Kontakt who will manufacture it for us. The Bluetooth Low energy beacons will be put in a cloud system available to everyone within the app (“Kontakt.io IoT Public Spaces Technology Suite”).

The specific beacon that we will be buying is called the Beacon Pro BP16-3. The Beacon Pro BP16-3 has a great amount of coverage which consists of 80 meters. It has an antenna which is capable of a great amount of coverage. It comes from all directions which later transmits the data to the consumers. It has a built in omnidirectional antenna which means that within the beacon the antenna that it has allows for energy to go all directions which allows for the customers to pick up the signal and know in the app where there are. The Beacon Pro BP16-3 casing color is white and the material used is Lupoy GN5001RFG. The specific material Lupoy is very well known as an engineering plastic. The Lupoy plastic is both a very strong plastic type but also is light. Due to how that type of material works it is commonly seen as parts of many electronic devices. The use of Lupoy is also used for products such as the blue screen, mobile phones, TV and laptops (“LUPOY | EPC | LG Chem”).

The Beacon Pro BP16-3 has batteries that last up to at least five years. The specific battery that will be used within the Beacon is three CR2477 batteries that can be replaced. The batteries are Lithium Manganese Dioxide coin batteries.(http://unicell.com.sg/un_product_details.asp?pid=2706)

With the Beacon Pro BP16-3 can be updated and located from any smartphone. The LED indicator is within the beacon and is what allows for us to track where the beacon is exactly. The software that is within the Beacon Pro BP16-3 is useful due to allowing us to update is not matter where we are. The beacons which we will buy from our supplier Kontakt gives us the option of having a battery saving mode when it is not in use. The battery saving mode is used by controlling the ambient light sensor. During the times that the mall is closed then that is where the employees can go to each beacon and switch it to the battery saving mode. The beacon itself is not difficult to deal with most of it can be controlled with a smartphone. It also already comes with a mounting clip so it is easy to install (“Beacon Pro BP16-3”). Having the ambient light sensor is what controls the power saving mode within the beacon. The beacon also has another sensor which is the accelerometer. Acceleration forces is what the accelerometer measures. The forces that the answer is focusing upon has to do with movement or no movement (“A Beginner’s Guide to Accelerometers”).

Going into more detail within the Beacon Pro BP16-3, within it it has many components. The components within is include a microcontroller a core, a clock, a RAM, and a flash. A microcontroller is what is inside electronic devices. In this case it’s inside of the beacon and what is does is within its program allows us to control its features or the actions it can take. What the microcontroller does with sending its signals is two things. It controls the device itself and also control all the little parts within the device. There is also a core within the microcontroller and what is does has to the with the program. The program is read and carried out based on its instructions (“Multi-Core Processor”). What the internal clock does within the beacon is allow us to pick days or certain times when we want the beacon to distribute its signals upon the customers (“Brain, Marshall”). In the microcontroller another important component is has is the RAM. The RAM stands for random access memory. What is does is keep the information the beacon had so that it can easily be found later (“Study.com”). The last component within the beacon is the flash. The flash is a type of chip within the microcontroller which allows to transfer its data and keep it between the beacon and any smartphone. It is what allows for the information to be kept or erased overall (“What Is Flash Memory?”).

Labor power wise, our innovation is easy for set up, once the beacons are set up in the area, all there is left is to use the program to run through the beacons. For the first few months, there will be beta testing of the program to work out any issues. This would require the expertise of a computer science major to help with the analytics of our innovation. The amount of these individuals needed would vary depending on the number of stores we would beta test with. In our case for a startup, we would probably need the assistance of at least 3 programmers to ensure the program is running and to work out any issues. With that in mind, only two places would probably be placed in beta testing so that any money loss is mitigated. With that being said since there will be only two malls in use at the start of the innovations testings, we would only require the help of at least one architect to help with the setup of the beacons, making sure they are placed in the most beneficial areas of the targeted buildings. Before all of this, however, a contract with the store itself must be put into place, to gain legal ability to put our product to use. Thus, the help of a lawyer would be needed to set up a legal contract with these malls gaining permission. Lastly, for the startup, since the largest mall in the U.S. as of now is the Mall of America (“Pocock”), sizing in at about 2.8 million square feet (510 meters), which would only require about 7 beacons for full coverage, for beta testing, a sound 20 beacons would be required to accomplish startup. Should our program prove functional and profitable, our labor power can expand even further based on our stores in which we wish to expand in.

With this in mind, time-wise, the duration in which the beta testing would need to occur would be from 6-9 months depending on the legal contracts as well as the beta testing itself. To create the coding it would require about 9-12 months once the programmers are found and given the specifications of the malls’ infrastructure. Thus, the time it would take for beta testing to finish would approximate from 15- 21 months, a possibility that can only happen since our startup is with only two malls. After beta testing is over, the time for which to expand and place more beacons and program other buildings would solely depend on the size of the building. Once new programmers are added to the project, the process can speed up exponentially, since the codings basic structure is already been formulated. Each new building, however, can take up to about 6-9 months.

Cost wise, to invest in this innovation, is more based on the startup than future endeavors. Since a beacon is as said before, about 45 dollars, our total for beacons would require about 1000 dollars in total when factoring in possible tax. The heftiest of the cost is hiring employees for the development of the program. For the lawyer, the highest paid lawyer for the creation of a contract is about 3000 dollars. An architect and programmer, however, is dependent on the expertise of the individual. For an estimated amount however, the average architect is paid 6,738 dollars a month, and for a programmer, they are paid about 5,219 dollars a month (“Q: How Much Do Architect Jobs Pay per Month in 2019?”). With the most months needed to finish the startup in mind, the cost for employing an architect for the 21 months comes to 141,498 dollars. For the programmers, in total each one would be paid 109,599 dollars which brings the total of them together to 328,797 dollars. Another 450,000 dollars would be needed as well for possible expenses for the research and living of the founders of the innovation. With this in mind, the estimated total cost of this innovation would come out to 925,000 dollars. This may seem steep, but when compared to how much google maps gains in income based off of ad revenue which is about 21 billion dollars the cost is almost next to nothing should the beta testing comes out as a huge success (“Voiovich, Jason T”).

With the help of investors, the IPS is not only feasible based off of the technology that we have today, but it can also gain massive profit, helping people find their way faster through malls without any hassle. This innovation is a probable major hit that can be seen in the hands of a few people in a couple of years, and eventually, everyone worldwide in the years to come. The IPS technology will piggyback off of GPS to create a seamless user experience. We are hoping to have this technology available to every smartphone or computing user. We will be buying low cost Bluetooth Low Energy beacons to place within public indoor areas. There is a developer kit available which makes the connection between the customers phone and the beacon which allows them to get to where they need to go. The beacon has such an immense amount of signal which is used as a central reference point for the consumers. It is what allows people to know how to get to their designated area. IPS is trying to expand upon the GPS system which will allow for 3D modelling of indoor areas and small secluded areas. This innovation would be made into reality once we get a contract with companies like google and apple to give us the money needed to evolve our startup even further. With the help of advertisements and companies adding funds after the startup is a success, IPS can without a doubt be a huge success to help people navigate within indoor areas.

Works Cited

“American Airlines and DFW Airport Confirm IBeacon Deployment.” Future Travel

Experience, 20 June 2014,

www.futuretravelexperience.com/2014/06/american-airlines-und

ertakes-industrys-biggest-deployment-ibeacons-dfw-airport/.

“A Beginner’s Guide to Accelerometers.” Dimension Engineering,

www.dimensionengineering.com/info/accelerometers.

“Beacon Pro BP16-3.” Kontakt.io Store,

store.kontakt.io/next-generation/32-beacon-pro-bp16-3.html.

Brain, Marshall. “How Microcontrollers Work.” HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 1 Apr. 2000,

electronics.howstuffworks.com/microcontroller1.htm.

“Kontakt.io IoT Public Spaces Technology Suite.” Kontakt.io,