A Smart GSM-Based Home Electrical Appliances Remote Control System

Energy control systems have over the years experienced significant transformation due to technological innovations. Its importance has led to the development of a few models aimed at realizing home automation and resolving energy wastage. Wise use of electricity helps a nation to become more energy-efficient, reduces the environmental impact, saves money on the electricity bills, and keeps the nation’s electricity supply more reliable. This paper presents a prototype design to reduce the electricity wastage in Ghanaian homes and probably offices. A Global System for Mobiles (GSM) module is used for receiving short message service (SMS) from user’s mobile phone that automatically enable the controller to take any further action such as to switch ON or OFF the home electrical appliances like light, air-conditioner, fan etc. The system is activated when user sends the SMS to the microcontroller and upon receiving the SMS command, the microcontroller unit then automatically controls the home electrical appliances by switching ON or OFF the device accordingly. A system prototype was developed and tested successfully. The system provides an effective mechanism to aid the efficient utilization of power in a developing country such as Ghan

FPGA-Based Intelligent Traffic Controller with Remote Operation Mode

This paper covers the design and implementation of an intelligent traffic management system for an isolated intersection. The vehicular traffic management system employs Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) as the central decision-making unit and combines its speed and high number of I/O with other system components such as the ESP8266 Wi-Fi module, to record real-time traffic information and apportion green-time for each phase of traffic signal. The design and implementation incorporate three different operational modes namely, fixed time mode, sensor actuated mode and remote control mode, to alleviate vehicular traffic congestion and also reduce the risk of accidents at intersections. The incorporation of remote control mode, which enables an authorized personnel to remotely control the traffic, using a cloud-based application running on a portable device, makes this system different from previous works. Simulation using a prototype of the model on a model intersection, shows that the system can reduce waiting time and increase throughput at the intersections

A Supermarket Anti-Theft RFID Scanner : digiSCAN

Supermarket shopping is an essential part of the livelihood of most people around the world. Consumers can acquire items essential for their daily activities. However, in an ever-evolving world with an increasing population and increasing crime rates, supermarket theft is becoming a prevalent problem with supermarket owners spending large sums of money on hiring security often with little effect. Organized Retail Crime (ORC) costs the retail industry approximately $30 billion each year, with 71.3% of retailers reporting an increase in ORC year-over-year. With the current global economic conditions, high labor costs are longer feasible. Consumers also face the issue of paying for items they did not select. Advanced camera systems, for some, may be an escape however, this approach is not feasible for all aspects of shopping and in underdeveloped countries that have technical constraints. The advent of digitization has helped improve the livelihood of consumers in Ghana. Currently, many large-scale retailers are oblivious to some of these advancements. The oblivion of the management of such retail services results in the loss of products, customer dissatisfaction and the mismanagement of untracked products by employees. To reduce theft and the mismanagement of products by employees, a smart antitheft system should be deployed in supermarkets; at the till and before the exit of supermarkets to ensure all products leaving the store are paid for and accounted for. The system consists of a deactivation and theft detection system. The product is deactivated by the store attendant at the till when the customer pays for the product. However, if a customer crosses the initial warning zone without paying, a warning sound is triggered and after the customer crosses the final warning zone, the alarm is triggered indicating an attempted theft by the customer. A log of products is also kept ensuring employees are not stealing products. This paper presents a smart way of detecting theft during supermarket shopping using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) readers and tags, microcontroller-based control system, a database server and an Integroma

Detailed Review on The Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks in Software Defined Networks (SDNs) and Defense Strategies

The development of Software Defined Networking (SDN) has altered the landscape of computer networking in recent years. Its scalable architecture has become a blueprint for the design of several advanced future networks. To achieve improve and efficient monitoring, control and management capabilities of the network, software defined networks differentiate or decouple the control logic from the data forwarding plane. As a result, logical control is centralized solely in the controller. Due to the centralized nature, SDNs are exposed to several vulnerabilities such as Spoofing, Flooding, and primarily Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) among other attacks. In effect, the performance of SDN degrades based on these attacks. This paper presents a comprehensive review of several DoS and DDoS defense/mitigation strategies and classifies them into distinct classes with regards to the methodologies employed. Furthermore, suggestions were made to enhance current mitigation strategies accordingly

Design and Implementation of A Patient-Doctor Monitoring System: A Review and A Telemedical Algorithmic Approach for Non-Invasive Post-Malaria-Diagnosis Monitoring

In an era where there is a globally concerted effort to improve healthcare especially in regions with endemic diseases like Sub-Saharan Africa, there have been major calls for real-time health data acquisition and reporting[1] to prompt health institutions and government to adequately plan and tackle such challenges. Data Acquistion is also very important as it will in the long run drive other future research work. Due to these eminent reasons, this paper seeks to review a number of situational reports, relevant projects and papers with proposed solutions or implemented prototypes that can be employed in monitoring the recovery and health status of patients that are diagnosed of Malaria. This paper also proposes an operational algorithm (based on the existing projects’ review) of a wearable embedded device in the form a flowchart to inspires device makers and innovators to design systems and devices to help in the fight against Malaria, which currently claims the lives of thousands annually. [2] The focus, though on Malaria because of its prevalence in the Sub-Saharan Africa, can be employed on other similar endemic diseases

On the design and implementation of efficient antennas for high frequency-radio frequency identification read/write devices

AbstractThis article describes an in‐depth methodical approach to the development of efficient high‐frequency (HF) antennas for use in radio frequency identification (RFID) systems operating at 13.56 MHz. It presents brief theory relevant to RFID communication and sets up a framework within which features and requirements of antennas are linked to key design parameters such as antenna form‐factor and size; RF power level, material and communication protocol. Tuning circuits necessary to adjust the resonance and power matching characteristics of antennas for good transponder interrogation and response recovery are discussed. To validate the approaches outlined, a stepwise design and measurement of an HF antenna for an ISO/IEC 15693 compliant read/write device (RWD) is described. Common practical problems that are often encountered in such design processes are also commented on. The prototyped antenna was tuned, connected to the RWD via a 50 coaxial cable and tested

A Simple, Low-cost, Efficient and Smart Consumer Gas Leakage Detection System

Liquefied Petroleum Gas is used for a wide range of both domestic and industrial purposes. Its use has seen a significant increase over the years. Unfortunately, there have also been many casualties resulting from gas explosions in recent times. Often, there is a news report of a gas explosion occurring somewhere, whether at home, in the marketplace or in an industry. Although these accidental explosions are sometimes beyond human control, some are due to ignorance, negligence, or improper care of gas cylinders. Most explosions are caused by undetected gas leakages which are then set off to explode with the slightest ignition. Apart from explosions, fires at homes can also be caused by gas leakages. This usually results in serious injuries, loss of property and even sometimes, loss of lives. This project seeks to provide a smart, budget friendly and easy to use gas leakage detector system, a better alternative to relying on the natural way of using the nose, which may fail and in effect, incur undesirable consequences. The system employs an MQ2 sensor interfaced with an ESP8266 Wi-Fi module for sensing the gas in the atmosphere and displaying an alert message on the lcd. The Wi-Fi in combination with the microcontroller module acts as the transmission and processing unit, allowing for communication over wireless medium. This way, a user can receive notifications on a mobile device depending on changes the hardware system detects in the atmosphere. There is also a buzzer to alert nearby persons by sound so that they can take the necessary precautions and action

WELCOMING THE SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY IN GHANA: CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS – A CASE STUDY

The Semiconductor Industry is one industry that has been driving technological innovations for decades since its birth in the USA. Semiconductors form the building blocks of a wide array of consumer, medical and industrial electronics. The growth of many economies in the world can be attributed to the growth in the semiconductor industry in such countries. The global semiconductor industry consists of companies in the USA, South Korea, Taiwan, China, and the European Union. However, the semiconductor industry has no presence in the African region, in Ghana to be specific. This work investigates some challenges associated with the establishment of the semiconductor industry in Ghana, including challenges from basic research and development to manufacturing and marketing. The paper also highlights some recommendations which are key in laying the foundation for the entry of the industry in Ghana, including the provision of tax incentives, training of personnel, etc

Design and Implementation of a Local Area Network Based Multimedia Messaging Application

Communication these days has taken a huge turn to depend extremely on the internet. Software such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and the general social media receive about a billion active users. This demonstrates how most communication has relied on the internet. However, this approach does not serve well under some conditions. Firstly, places without internet access suffer greatly from multimedia messaging. They are either unable to initiate a conversation at all or suffer a relatively slower user experience even when they message people in close proximity. Furthermore, the cost incurred in messaging people over these platforms with people nearby could be avoided should the communication be over a local area network rather than depending on the services of an Internet Service Provider. This project investigates the design and implementation of an efficient communication system for devices near each other that relies on any local area network that a particular device is connected to. Such targeted networks include mobile Wi-Fi and cable connections. This work designed and implemented a Local Area Network based Messaging Platform, capable of working on all local networks regardless of being cable or wireless. The system is extensible, allowing for a node to re-broadcast the network onto other networks it might be connected to and works without internet access, allowing the sending and sharing of text and media files