Four Belgium Campus IT students are developing life-saving software to prevent hot car deaths. A hot car death, also known as Paediatric Vehicular Heatstroke, is when a baby or toddler dies of heatstroke after accidentally being left in a locked vehicle during a hot day. It is horrifying to think about it, but, unfortunately, happens more often than you might think.
According to the National Safety Council, in America alone, an average of 38 children under 15 fall victim to hot car deaths each year. That’s 38 children too many! Recognising the gravity of this issue, our students decided to use their IT knowledge and skills to come up with a solution.
The Solution
Working with a BMW X3, our students have been developing software that will notify vehicle owners via their cell phone when they have left a child, or even a pet, in their vehicle. So, how exactly does this work?
All living organisms produce CO². As such, the car’s CO² and motion sensors, along with its built-in camera, will be used to detect life within the vehicle. If life is detected, a notification will be sent to the vehicle owner to inform them. At the same time, the car’s internal thermometer will monitor the temperature within the vehicle to provide the owner with regular temperature updates.
If the vehicle owner does not return to their car or respond to any of the notifications received, the software will crack the car’s windows to try to reduce the temperature. If the driver still does not return and the temperature does not reduce or continues to rise, the software will start the car and switch the air conditioner on. Of course, this is just a surface-level explanation. In order to successfully develop this, our students will have to bring their idea to life through design, coding, and finally testing and debugging – an easy task for our students!
Degree Options at Belgium Campus iTversity
As you may have gathered, Belgium Campus iTversity is unlike other institutions that merely focus on theoretical understanding. At Belgium Campus, we equip our students with the theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and thoughtfulness needed to uplift communities and drive real social change.
Are you ready to be the next great IT professional who changes the world and impacts people’s lives? Our revolutionary degree programmes will help you do just that. Choose between our 4-year Bachelor of Computing degree or our 3-year Bachelor of IT degree and watch yourself transform. The world is in desperate need of thoughtful leaders, don’t keep it waiting!
Need more information or assistance with the application process? Give us a call on 010 593 5368 or send us an email at info@belgiumcampus.ac.za. We look forward to helping you realise your true potential.
