Charging Buddy - A Secured Charging Station Using Internet of Things

Abstract

Currently, when a user's cell phone runs out of battery and there is no charging outlet nearby there is very little or nothing that the user can do about it. Even if a charging outlet is available nearby one would have to stay close to the charging outlet until the phone is charged. Our system would provide such users with a solution that would enable them to do other things while the cell phone is being charged without worrying about the safety of their phones. Our charging stations would be located at various public places which would be available for all the registered users. These Secured Charging Stations would be like vending machines i.e. fully automated using the Internet of Things (IoT). These charging stations, when placed in stores, would attract more customers and increase their dwell time which would consequently increase sales. These mobile devices are our means to remain connected. With the progress in microprocessor technology phones have become more powerful than ever. Unfortunately, batteries in these phones have not been growing at a comparable pace. Hence, there is a need to frequently charge these mobile devices. People find it difficult to charge their beloved mobile devices when they run out of battery and they are outdoors. Most people at some point have experienced having their mobile devices run out of battery when they are not near a charging outlet. This project is an excellent example of Ubiquitous computing that uses Cloud computing for solving this widespread problem.