Attachment theft detection

Abstract

Construction machines often operate at remote locations, without any ability to store attachments or other tools in safe spaces. Therefore, attachments are often left detached and unmonitored on the worksite during the night, which increases the likelihood of theft. In order to prevent theft of these attachments, the objective of this project has been to develop a theft detection system where the machine can guard attachments in close proximity and notify its owner in case of suspicious activity. The system is based on wireless communication via Bluetooth Low Energy [1] between a computer in the machine and a small, battery-powered hardware unit equipped with motion sensors which is mounted on the attachment. The machine will report suspected theft to the owner of the machine over the internet if the attachment has sensed movement or if the machine has lost connection to the attachment. The result of this project is a proof of concept for how a system like this could be implemented. Additionally, a web application was developed for demonstration purposes.