Mobile electric switch tops SWEEP

MANILA, Philippines - Picture this: You and your family are on your way to your dream vacation, and you make a mental note of everything you need. And then you remember that you forgot to switch off your bedroom light. Or was it the electric fan? Wait, did you turn off the TV? 

Visions of next month’s electric bill  or worse, of your house on fire  due to overheating appliances and electric fixtures throw you off holiday mode and send you turning back home. 

Thanks to a team of students from Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba, you can tick that off your worry list. The young inventors developed a switching device for electrical appliances and fixtures in homes. 

The “SMS.AWT: Switching and Monitoring System Using Android in Wireless Technology” emerged grand champion in the recently concluded 9th SWEEP Innovation and Excellence Awards, besting over a hundred entries submitted to Smart Communications Inc. for the annual innovation awards under the Smart Wireless Engineering Program (SWEEP).

The device enables you to remotely switch “on” and “off” the electrical outlets and appliances in your home from wherever you are, with the use of an Android phone. That translates to fire safety and savings on electricity costs.   

“We are happy to provide engineering students with the platform and the tools for them to develop innovative mobile applications and wireless devices that can be used for social good,” said Ramon Isberto, Smart Public Affairs Group head.

“With this year’s SWEEP Awards, we are not only giving student developers a chance to win substantial prizes for their team and an equivalent grant for their schools, but also that opportunity to become ‘technopreneurs’ and become start-ups,” added Isberto.

How it works

For the prototype, the team modified an ordinary circuit breaker, but eventually it would evolve into a device that can be installed in circuit breakers already existing in homes.

It can be controlled via an Android mobile phone using GSM technology, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) or Web connectivity. If you don’t have an Android handset, the device can also be operated manually. 

Multiple users can also be given access to the device, but it has an embedded security feature to protect against unauthorized users. The system also helps identify individual appliances that the owner wishes to control remotely.

In terms of safety, the device has built-in sensors  for smoke detection, overheating and intrusion. When any of these sensors are triggered, an SMS notification is sent to the user and an alarm will sound off. With effective use, the device reduces the risk of fire caused by overheating electrical appliances or fixtures. By eliminating the standby power, it also helps in conserving electricity.

With the device’s wireless switching features, your home is effectively automated, with the controls right at your fingertips.

Teamwork equals success

The winning app was developed by three graduating Computer Engineering students from Letran Calamba  team leader Frances Marie Kagahastian and partners Jeffrey Martin and Jarivy Ian Reynaldo  with the help of their mentors, Freddie Tamayao and Nicanor Satur, and school moderator, engineer Ricrey Marquez. 

“Winning the grand prize in a competition as prestigious as the SWEEP Awards is the ultimate reward for the sleepless nights the past three months we were developing the app. We went through a lot in order to get here. In my case, less quality time with my one-year-old son,” said Kagahastian, 22, a single mom. 

Martin, a working student who is IT technical services assistant in the school’s MIS Department, conceded that “there was a lot of pressure” during the last three months.

“We needed to pass requirements for the school, work on the defense of our thesis, and then there’s SWEEP. Despite the difficulties, we managed to finish everything with flying colors,” he said.

For Reynaldo, the SWEEP Awards prepared them for the future, equipping them with the skills that are necessary to make it in the real world. From concept design to the actual presentation, he said, the entire experience made them work harder because a lot more than just school grades was at stake.

The winning team of the SWEEP Awards won a trophy and a P500,000 cash prize and another P500,000 grant for their school.   

SWEEP is collaboration between Smart and partner-schools to help enhance the level of engineering and IT education in the country. To know more about the program and the apps, visit www.smartsweep.ph.