IIT-Kharagpur's RF Tracker is what every worried Indian parent needs for the safety of their school-going kids

In a bid to make children's commute to and from schools safe, professors and students from Civil Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering Department of IIT Kharagpur have come up with a tracking system to keep a real time tab on school students while they are traveling in their school buses.

IIT Kharagpur came up with this idea after a detailed survey involving several parents and Kolkata police, which helped them identify two major concerns of people – the safety and security of their kids.

The students and professors then created an electronic device which uses two things to operate: Radio-frequency identification (RFID) and a tag. It’s an uncomplicated technology, they say, which will utilize radio waves to read and capture information stored on a tag attached to each student’s ID card.

How it really works:

Every student ID cards will be tagged with RFID and every bus will have a RFID card reader. As the student will enter the bus and punch the card, he/she will automatically be identified in the database and a text message will be sent to the child’s parents informing them that their kid has boarded the bus. A GPS device will also be installed in the bus which will help parents in tracking their child in real-time through a smartphone application.

Additionally, a message will also be sent to the parents once the child gets off the bus and enters the school. In scenarios where the bus will halt suddenly or if any other disturbance occurs, the police will be immediately informed.

Work on the tracking system is expected to begin a pilot basis at the South Point School in Kolkata for now.