Smart car seat aims to prevent hot car fatalities, Canadian engineering

Guardian Angel car seat, was recently included among the finalists for capstone project of the year by the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta (ASET). Finalists included the top two projects submitted by each of the four polytechnics in Alberta: NAIT, SAIT, Red Deer College and Lethbridge College.

As a second-year Biomedical Engineering Technology student at NAIT, Burke proposed the idea for the capstone, an end-of-program project, to classmate Jennifer Pettem.

“I thought it was a great idea that would be very meaningful to people if we were able to create this and make it a reality,” says Pettem.

A third student, Rachel Beaudette joined the team and, after four months of work, the trio turned a conventional, bucket-style car seat into their prototype.

Outfitted with sensors and lights and synched to an Android app on a parent’s phone, the seat monitors ambient temperature. It also lets a caregiver know when they’ve gone too far from the seat.