SOSafe: Car Safety Trough Communication

SOSafe: Car Safety Trough Communication

Giuseppin, K.L.

Van Heur, R.J.H.G. (mentor)
Kornmann, C.M. (mentor)

Industrial Design Engineering

Applied Ergonomics and Design

Master of Science Integrated Product Design

2011-08-03

This report describes the design process of a new car safety device developed at LifeSafety Products B.V. located in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands. Life Safety Products B.V. has been dependant on their number one selling product, the LIFEHAMMER®. Now they want to invest in the development of new products in the field of car safety, in order to become less dependant on a single product and to show the branche that they are an innovative company truly worthy of the slogan “Number one in car safety”. Based on consumer research and internal discussion, Life Safety Products B.V. will benefit from a product that provides a safety net in case the user requires help and is somehow unable to communicate this need for help. The proposed design concept “SOSafe” provides a double safety net by alerting both other road users and the emergency services. It also functions as an emergency light system. The design blends in with car interiors enough to be aesthetically desirable, yet attracts enough attention to be easy to find in case of an emergency. The SOSafe system is a stand-alone product. This makes sure it will function even when car electronics fail. The SOSafe system is linked to a web service that sets preferences to the system and contains additional information about the user, allowing the emergency services to send more personalized help. The SOSafe system activates in case of crashes or entering water. It can also be activated manually. When activated, it emits pulses of light that attract the attention of other road users, and functions as an emergency light system. At the same time it sends an emergency message to pre-defined contacts, such as the emergency services. This message contains the GPS location of the accident and information that allows the contacts to make a phone call to the SOSafe user. This project was carried out in two parallel design paths; the functional and aesthetic path. The functional path deals with the creation of a reliable, easy to use product, whereas the aesthetic path deals with creating a product that is desireable, innovative, understandable and fits automotive interior as well as the new Life Safety Products product portfolio. These paths come together at the final concept proposal. This proposal is used for a survey that yields recommendations for further design optimalisation after this graduation project has finished.

automotive
safety
product design
GPS
GSM
communication

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:41cf0d2d-ea30-45dd-9c0e-7d04db7f81ac

2012-08-03

Campus only

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2011 Giuseppin, K.L.