Prevention of Violence Against Women

Proof of Concept of a Wearable Device for Everyday Risk Monitoring

Abstract

Everyday violence against women is a serious social problem that demands innovative solutions. This work presents a proof of concept of a wearable device for women's safety, integrating embedded systems, wireless communication, and geolocation. The device uses the ESP32 microcontroller running FreeRTOS (Free Real-Time Operating System) firmware and connects GPS (Global Positioning System), accelerometer, gyroscope, and digital microphone sensors for real-time risk detection. The architecture comprises sensor data collection, local processing by the ESP32, a Node.js back-end, a MongoDB database, and a React front-end for visualization and control. Results demonstrate the technical feasibility of integrating multiple sensors into an alert system capable of detecting suspicious movements, capturing audio evidence, and tracking location in real time. The proof of concept combines automatic detection with manual triggering, broadening the functionalities compared to previous solutions. The physical prototype was developed using a custom printed circuit board manufactured at the Federal University of Ceará, Sobral Campus Laboratory. Improvements in miniaturization, energy optimization, and real-world validation are still required before commercial viability. This research is expected to serve as a starting point for initiatives aimed at reducing violence against women, demonstrating the potential of technology in promoting women's safety and autonomy.