Green Team 2016
Electronic Tampering Detection
In the United States, the past few years have seen an increase in number of drug-facilitated sexual assaults. These are assaults in which perpetrators use drugs to aid them in their attacks, often by slipping the drugs into a victim’s drink. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that in 2007 alone, about 200,000 women in the U.S. were victims of drug facilitated rape. While some products exist that allow users to test the contents of their drink, they are not always effective. For the most part, they are chemical tests that cannot protect against all types of drugs, are non-reusable, and fail to identify drugs within certain pH values.
To solve this issue, the Green Team is developing a protective electronic lid that may be placed over a drink and notifies the user if anyone attempts to remove it. The physical device works in correspondence with a mobile app and therefore allows for real-time monitoring and responses. Work on this project will continue as all team members will remain in the Boston area after graduation.
Related Tech Notes
- The Technology of Tamper Detection: Mechanical Security (pdf) by Matthew Kwan
- Detection of Tampering by Chemical Means (pdf) by Catherine Kravchenko
- Electronic Sensors for Tampering Detection (pdf) by Patricia O’Connor
Green Team Project Poster
