Safer public environments with IoT

This case is based on three prototype solutions

The (L)bracelet

The Karlstad-based JA company SafeStyle, in collaboration with Plegium, had developed a personal alarm in the form of a scrunchie cord to wear around the wrist. When activated, an SMS with GPS position is sent to selected contacts. Within the project, we tested to further develop this solution. Via the GPS position, we were able to link the alarm to the street lighting in the area in question so that the lights came on when activated at the same time as a speaker in the area played a deterrent sound.

The interactive park bench

The interactive bench was developed within the project by Karlstads Energi in collaboration with Vestre, RedPill Linpro and Norrsidans Innovation. The bench, which was placed on Stora torget in Karlstad, is equipped with wifi, a USB port for charging a mobile phone and, not least, a voice function. Passers-by can use the “Hello Bench” command to ask the bench questions. A place to relax and unwind. In a typical week, more than 7 500 unique devices were connected via the bench’s Wi-Fi.

Mosquito

Children and young people are unaccustomed to being on school roofs, which poses a security risk. Within the project, Karlstads Energi therefore took the initiative for Mosquito, a motion-activated device that registers presence and plays a high-frequency sound that acts as a deterrent for younger people. The solution has been tested on two school roofs during the project, and has worked technically. However, it should be measured over a longer period of time to identify patterns and help change behaviour.

Working methods

Smart&Safe has often been highlighted as a positive example for its needs-driven approach and how it has stimulated cross-border co-operation. It all started with an innovation workshop where companies from a wide range of industries and representatives from the public and non-profit sectors were invited to jointly come up with solutions based on the needs of the target group. During the course of the project, a further innovation workshop was organised and practical tests were also carried out in a real environment where the public was invited to test the (L)bracelet and the interactive park bench. As a result of this open approach, we managed to engage both the public and some 40 different stakeholders, who contributed to the project and showed interest in continuing to collaborate on similar initiatives.

Lessons learnt

IoT has the ability to increase perceived safety.
More connected meeting places are needed.
The prototype solutions work and allow for scaling.
Smart solutions require collaboration.
Cross-border co-operation creates opportunities and business.
Data sharing between actors needs to be facilitated.
Important to include legal counsel from the start in data sharing projects.
Important to actively involve the target group.

Outcome

We can conclude that IoT is a suitable tool for creating a smarter and safer society. All the prototype solutions tested within Smart&Safe are being further developed with a focus on scaling up for application in more places and in more areas. Among other things, linked to Karlstad Municipality’s Smart and Sustainable Karlstad initiative.

The well-functioning project team has continued to work together on safety in other initiatives, including the Road to Mission feasibility study, which explores approaches to solving complex challenges based on the safety of children and young people.