UrbaSense: Enhancing Urban Living with IoT and AI

Background

Urban residents often face challenges arising from noise pollution, stress, and a fast-paced lifestyle. These factors can negatively impact personal rest, mental health, and productivity. UrbaSense was created as a solution to these urban issues, leveraging IoT technology to improve the quality of life by enhancing the environment through sensory adjustments.

Market Research

Urban Living & Mental Health

• 21% more likely to experience anxiety disorders.
• 39% more likely to develop mood disorders.
• Environmental stress can elevate the risk of developing psychiatric conditions, such as:
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Bipolar Disorder

Urban Living & Sleep Quality

• 6% of individuals living in highly lit urban areas sleep less than 6 hours per night.
• 29% report dissatisfaction with their sleep quality.
• Exposure to noise is a major factor contributing to poor sleep quality in urban environments.

Impact of Urban Living on Productivity & Development

• Increased noise exposure in urban areas is linked to:
  • Poorer educational outcomes for children (e.g., reading and math skills).
  • Reduced focus and productivity in adults due to high-stress environments.

Customer Insights

• Target Audience: Urban residents, students, and working professionals.
• Common Issues:
  • Difficulty focusing due to noise and stress.
  • Preference for peace and quiet while working or studying.
  • Reliance on noise-canceling headphones to mitigate distractions.
  • Sensitivity to light and its impact on productivity.
  • Desire for natural light and external factors that help regulate circadian rhythm for optimal functioning.

Objectives

• Reduce environmental disturbances and improve rest quality.
• Automate environmental settings using AI and machine learning to tailor the atmosphere for individual needs.
• Enhance overall mental well-being and productivity through optimized living environments.

Solution Overview

UrbaSense is an IoT-based software solution that integrates with home appliances to help users control their environment. The software uses AI and machine learning to optimize light, sound, and other environmental factors, improving the user’s atmosphere. By leveraging Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) technology and IoT integration, UrbaSense aims to create a highly customized, noise-free, and restful environment for its users.

Core Features:

• Integration with IoT devices to control light, sound, temperature, and air quality.
• AI-powered automation based on user preferences and environmental factors.
• Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) for minimizing disruptions.

Project Phases

Phase 1: Individual Room Automation

• Focus Areas:
  • Light adjustment
  • Sound control
  • Environmental factors auto-adjusted to ideal ranges
• Main Automation Trigger: Time of day

Phase 2: Expanding to New Environments

• Focus Areas:
  • More complex settings (e.g., offices, classrooms)
  • Scent, temperature, moisture, and air quality adjustments
  • Air pollution sensors
• Main Automation Trigger: Room’s purpose at the time (e.g., study, work, sleep)

Phase 3: Advanced Environmental Control

• Focus Areas:
  • Camera-based monitoring (image processing)
  • People density and behavior analysis for energy savings
  • Real-time adjustment based on human actions and feedback
  • Training AI to understand natural environmental feedback

Project Expenses

• Recurring:
  • Cloud platform subscriptions
• Non-recurring:
  • Hardware investments (e.g., sensors, IoT devices)

Prototyping

Hardware:

• Raspberry Pi 4 Model B

Software Stack:

• Frontend: Flutter (UI/UX)
• Backend: Flask (Python)
• Machine Learning: Scikit-learn
• Cloud Computing: Microsoft Azure

Monitoring and Evaluation

The effectiveness of the solution will be measured using the following metrics:

• Data Volume: Amount of environmental data collected.
• User Interactions: Frequency and reasons for manual adjustments to automated settings.
• Manual Feedback: User input on system performance and areas for improvement.

Tech Stack

• Frontend:

  • Flutter (UI/UX Libraries and Frameworks)

• Backend:

  • Flask (Python for server-side logic)
  • Microsoft Azure SQL Database (Database Management)
  • Microsoft Azure (Cloud Platform)

Future Vision

UrbaSense aims to transform the way urban residents interact with their environments. As the system evolves, it will integrate deeper AI capabilities and more IoT devices, offering increasingly personalized experiences and optimizing both physical and mental well-being for users.

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Installation and Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-repository/urba-sense.git