Problem to solve The application addresses the problem of safety for individuals and groups while on the open water, in the mountains, woods, caves, or other environments where getting lost is highly probable and may prove fatal. For example, people, children, and pets on motor and sailing vessels quite often fall overboard. If it happens unnoticed by others, the crew eventually may have difficulty locating the spot, whereas they might have minutes to recover the person, e.g., when the water is cold. A prompt alarm and clear direction to the incident spot are essential for overnight passages, couples, and families. Solution Onix’s client envisioned a person/object location and alert system. It incorporates wearable water-proof beacons working as location alert transmitters, individuals’ mobile devices, and optionally, a full-function control device suitable for bigger vessels. A designated mobile application turns everyone’s smartphone or tablet into a person-tracking and alarm system. Killer feature Through the app, a virtual tether is formed between each beacon and mobile device in the system. Multiple beacons can be connected to a single mobile device, and vice versa, one beacon can be connected to multiple phones, tablets, and in the case of Apple devices, also iPod Touch and Mac. The mobile app technology can detect a break in the virtual tether, e.g., when a person or pet falls overboard, within 8 seconds; no cell phone signal is required. Additional features Scalability The safety system is scalable. It can have: A main mobile device tracking the signal directly from up to six beacons (this is sufficient for vessels up to 40ft) A 5V USB hub tracking up to 15 beacons (suitable for vessels up to 50ft); A 12V wired hub tracking up to 15 beacons and acting as an engine kill switch in case of an incident. Project The client approached Onix with the MOB location system concept and the task of writing a stand-alone mobile application to operate brand hardware: wristbands and float-on tags with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons, and control hubs. Onix’s team implemented the entire application logic. The client also provided the visual design for the first phase of the project - the development of a system incorporating only BLE beacons. The second phase included external hardware and a list of commands.