Smart Social Distancing Solution Using Bluetooth® Low Energy

Smart Social Distancing is one of the effective ways to break chain of contagion. Simply by isolating symptomatic people will not be enough for slowing down the virus like COVID19, many asymptomatic individuals carry virus and can infect others. Hence a cost effective and highly efficient solution is required which provide an alert when any two or more users come in close vicinity of each other which is lower than the permissible safe distance limit. This paper presents how ST BlueNRG-2 based device enables social distancing solution; the device generates an alert if the two or more devices are at lesser distance than safe distance limit (for example 2 meters or less). Two devices are advertising and scanning together to check if any other beacon is detected. Mathematical filters are applied to reduce the variation of RSSI observed, even when the devices are at fixed distance. The advertised data can be randomized to keep the communication secure and avoid spoofing. State machine for different modes were implemented which includes different Low Power Modes state for longer battery life and high probability detection mode.