Another Look at Privacy-Preserving Automated Contact Tracing

In the current COVID-19 pandemic, manual contact tracing has been proven to be very helpful to reach close contacts of infected users and slow down spread of the virus. To improve its scalability, a number of automated contact tracing (ACT) solutions have been proposed, and some of them have been deployed. Despite the dedicated efforts, security and privacy issues of these solutions are still open and under intensive debate. In this article, we examine the ACT concept from a broader perspective, by focusing on not only security and privacy issues but also functional issues such as interface, usability, and coverage. We first elaborate on these issues and particularly point out the inevitable privacy leakages in existing Bluetooth Low Energy based ACT solutions, including centralized and decentralized ones. In addition, we examine the existing venue-based ACT solutions and identify their privacy and security concerns. Then, we propose a generic venue-based ACT solution and a concrete instantiation based on Bluetooth Low Energy technology. Our solution monitors users’ contacting history only in virus-spreading-prone venues and offers higher-level protection for both security and privacy than its predecessors. Finally, we evaluate our solution from security, privacy, and efficiency perspectives, and also highlight how to reduce false positives in some specific indoor environments.

Sistema de seguridad personal basado en tecnología Bluetooth Low Energy para auxiliar estudiantes en situación de peligro.

Este trabajo pretende dar una alternativa tecnológica para el auxilio de estudiantes en caso de situación de peligro. La propuesta presenta el desarrollo de una aplicación móvil y un prototipo de comunicación bluetooth que en conjunto operan como un sistema de seguridad personal para estudiantes de la Escuela Superior de Tizayuca (ESTi). El objetivo principal es auxiliar a estudiantes que se encuentren en situación de peligro cerca de la ESTi . El funcionamiento del sistema de seguridad personal se basa en activar un prototipo de comunicación Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mediante un botón, el cual se comunica con una aplicación móvil instalada en el teléfono inteligente del usuario, la aplicación móvil comparte de manera automática la ubicación del usuario en tiempo real y envía mensajes SMS de auxilio a usuarios que se encuentren cerca de él, y a ciertos contactos específicos para que puedan auxiliarlo de alguna manera.Debido a la situación de pandemia actual el dispositivo no se pudo probar cerca de la ESTi, sin embargo fue probado en otra localidad y funcionó de acuerdo a lo esperado, la elaboración de este prototipo es útil a la población a la cual está dirigida ya que es su costo relativamente bajo y la aplicación sería gratuita.

Using Bluetooth Low Energy Technology to Perform ToF-Based Positioning

Many distributed systems that perform indoor positioning are often based on ultrasound signals and time domain measurements exchanged between low-cost ultrasound transceivers. Synchronization between transmitters and receivers is usually needed. In this paper, the use of BLE technology to achieve time synchronization by wirelessly triggered ultrasound transceivers is analyzed. Building on a previous work, the proposed solution uses BLE technology as communication infrastructure and achieves a level of synchronization compatible with Time of Flight (ToF)-based distance estimations and positioning. The proposed solution was validated experimentally. First, a measurement campaign of the time-synchronization delay for the adopted embedded platforms was carried out. Then, ToF-based distance estimations and positioning were performed. The results show that an accurate and low-cost ToF-based positioning system is achievable, using ultrasound transmissions and triggered by BLE RF transmissions.

Universal design – Bluetooth Low Energy-based navigation information systems for people with disabilities

The Universal Design aims to improve the functionality and accessibility of urbanized areas for all users, regardless of their physical, perceptual, or intellectual capability. This task is also a priority for the Polish government, however legislations do not provide clear solutions for supporting people with perceptual limitations. Contemporary technologies can support the spatial orientation of people with disabilities, allowing them to get around independently and safely. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, unlike to the global positioning system (GPS), allows accurate indoor location and navigation. The purpose of this article is to discuss and benchmark two BLE-based navigation and information systems: The GuideBeacon supported by the IBeaconMap software and Totupoint. The result is a summary of the key functionality and limitations of both solutions and an indication of the prospects for further development.

Enhance your smartphone with a Bluetooth arduino nano board

Using smartphones in experimental physics teaching offers many advantages in terms of engagement, pedagogy and flexibility. But it presents drawbacks such as possibly endangering the device and also facing the heterogeneity of available sensors on different smartphones. We present a low-cost alternative that preserves the advantages of smartphones: using a microcontroller equipped with a large variety of sensors that transmits data to a smartphone using a Bluetooth low-energy protocol. This device can be lent to students with little risk and used to perform a wide range of experiments. It opens the way to new types of physics teachings.