Almonte_Digital_Wallet_Device_HW7_pg_11
Digital Wallet Device
Assignment #7 - Group Report
by:
Alberto Almonte
Miles Curiotto
Michael Stross
CPE322 – Engineering Design VI
April 12th 2011
“We pledge our honor that we have abided by the Stevens Honor System.”
SECTION 1 – Team Member Contributions
· Section 1.1 – Alberto Almonte
o Design #1 Description
o Design #2 Description
o Project Analysis
o SWOT Analysis
· Section 1.2 – Miles Curiotto
o Design Constraints
o Ethical and Professional Responsibilities
o Multidisciplinary Teamwork Planning
· Section 1.3 – Michael Stross
o Design #1 Diagram
o Design #2 Diagram
o Best Design
o SWOT Analysis
SECTION 2 – Functional Block Diagram Implementation
· Section 2.1 – Design #1: Standalone Device
Diagram:
Description:
The first design would be the digital wallet device built from the ground up. Extensive research will need to be done in order to combine all the necessary components together to make a functioning device. A lot of the components already exist so they simply have to be purchased and fabricated into the device. These include: the mainboard, a microprocessor, memory, power/battery components, and a media card for data storage. This device would also consist of all the components we have thoroughly investigated: a touchscreen for user interaction, a fingerprint scanner for security, and a RFID tag for handling transmission of data.
The device will be able to store credit cards, debit cards, identification cards, and store rewards cards. In order to register a card to the device, the user can enter the account number on the card along with any other information required into the device. On the other hand, there can also be a feature built into the device to automatically register cards. A swiping mechanism can be added to the device so that a user can swipe any card with a magnetic strip and it will be automatically registered. The device can also store a spare card inside which can be used in places where there is no RFID reader. The user can simply select the card they wish to use, write the data to the spare card, which is rewriteable, and then the device will slide out the card which can be used just like a regular swiping card. Once the user is done with the card, it can be inserted back into the device and the data will be deleted immediately.
The user will be able to interact with the device via a touchscreen. One can traverse the menus by simply touching the option desired. The user will be able to manage the cards stored on the device, add/remove cards, and customize many other options. By authorizing a transaction to proceed after a card has been selected, the phone can be waved near a reader to transfer the necessary data which is read off the RFID tag.
The RFID tag will be used to temporarily store the data which needs to be read at that specific moment. It is important for the device to be able to write and delete data from the tag, not only for security reasons, but because this is the life of the device. The user can write any card data to the device. The data can only be read by a nearby reader a few seconds after it is written to the RFID tag. After it is read and the transaction is successful, the data is automatically removed from the tag so that no hackers or nearby readers can accidentally extract data from the device. This process is repeated for every card, so it is a crucial aspect of the device.
The fingerprint scanner is mainly for security and logging in to the device when it is locked. The device can only be registered to one person and it is linked to their fingerprints only. This feature needs to be as accurate as possible so that no false attempts to unlock the device are allowed. Also, finger recognition should be quick and efficient so that the user does not have to wait for the device to unlock every single time. This aspect of the device must be quicker than entering a PIN number to unlock the device. If this feature is not the best option, there are many other secure methods to unlock a device that use the touchscreen instead of a PIN number that we can explore.
· Section 2.2 – Design #2: External Peripheral for Smartphones
Diagram:
Description:
The second design would be an external peripheral that can be attached to the most popular smartphones in the world today. These include: iPhones, Android phones, BlackBerrys, and Windows 7 phones. If this design is chosen, the only component required would be the RFID device as well as a method for the phone to communicate with the peripheral.
There will be an application for the phone which would drive the functions of the peripheral, and it can be connected via a USB cable or some other way. This would be convenient because if the user does not need to make a purchase, they won’t need to carry the peripheral and cable around. The ideal method would be to attach the peripheral internally to the phone so that the user does not need to carry anything around. Then the phone will operate just like the digital wallet device as the application will handle all the functions required to add/modify/remove cards, write/delete data from the RFID tag, and handle transactions. However, this method will not apply for most people since it would require the phone’s mainboard to be altered, which would most likely void the phone’s warranty.
The RFID tag will function in the exact same way that it does with the digital wallet device. The user will be able to select the desired card, write the data temporarily to the RFID tag, wave the phone near a reader so that it can read the data, and once the transaction is complete, the data is automatically deleted from the tag. The extra functionality that we would have to do research on is how to write data from the phone to the RFID tag via whichever method we use to connect the phone to the peripheral. Whether it is with a USB cable or attached internally, it will be the most challenging aspect of this design.
· Section 2.3 – Analysis
Realization of the Functionality of the Overall Project:
Overall, the digital wallet device is a very interesting project that has great potential for success. It will bring peace of mind to those who use it by securely storing everything that one would carry in their wallet in this innovative device. We feel that the features this device offers will give it an edge in today’s technological market if it actually becomes a selling product. Our greatest threat would be similar technology appearing in cell phones, but our alternate design will compensate if this event were to occur.
Realization of the Functional Components:
The digital wallet device would not be a potential system without the components we chose to incorporate into it. The biggest attribute that will attract customers, other than what the device actually does, would have to be the touchscreen technology. Almost all the latest smartphones have adopted the touchscreen as the norm for user interaction. Touchscreens allow developers to create innovative and simplistic interfaces that appeal to anyone who comes across it. Therefore, a touchscreen would be the easiest and quickest way for a user to do what they have to do with the device and since not much typing will be required, a keyboard wouldn’t benefit our device. In addition, our alternate design would be perfect for any smartphone that currently has a touchscreen, which is most of them nowadays.
The fingerprint scanner is solely for securing the device from intruders. It will be very similar to the technology that some laptops use. The user will be able to register several fingerprints by accessing a function within the application. Then to unlock the device, one just needs to swipe one of the fingers registered and the device can then be used normally. Our alternate design would not require a fingerprint scanner because the cell phone that runs the application already has its own method of security.
The RFID device is the most complicated component of this project. It will need to be a read/write type of tag so that data can be rewritten to it as many times as possible as well as read by any nearby reader only when authorized. No matter which design we choose, this component will be included into our project. The RFID tag has the responsibility of transmitting data for transactions to occur. It also needs to be secure so that no data is stored on the tag when not in use. Since this component is the most important one in our project, tons of research will have to done in order for us to understand how to work with it and how to allow it to communicate with a cell phone application.
Realization of the Interfaces between Hardware Components:
For our first design, all components will be fabricated together very similarly to how a phone is assembled. Their functions are already encoded in a microchip that allows them to communicate with the device’s mainboard to function together. The only exception is for the RFID device. We will have to develop our own interface to allow the device to communicate with the tag. The same will have to be done for our alternate design. The only difference is that the RFID tag will have to be connected externally to the smartphone via a mini USB cable. Formulating a solution that will permit the smartphone to write data to the RFID tag by sending it via USB will be a very challenging task.
Best Design:
After analyzing the two designs, there are apparent pros and cons of each. The two designs at hand are a standalone device, and a peripheral-like device that can be plugged in to a smart phone. The standalone device is a great idea because it eliminates the user from having to carry an additional device around with them. However at the time, it may add some cumbersomeness to the phone. This design does allow for improvements though, which could possibly include integration with a smartphone. The shortcomings of using a smartphone to do the processing are that the information will be stored on the phone, use the phones processing power, along with the battery power. Since the phone is already wireless and has access to the internet it will be easier to update any software instantly thus keeping the device up date. It has been concluded that the convenience of having to carry only one device will be more appealing to consumers.
The standalone device, which is able to operate without another device, has higher security because it will all be contained in one device. This design will not draw on the battery power of a phone nor will it use the computing power of a phone. This will allow the device to be more stable. This design does seem to be better, but it is unlikely that consumers will add it to the list of things that they currently carry around with them. Establishing a new product like this will be difficult, and getting the consumers to enjoy it from the beginning is very important.
SECTION 3 – Project Constraints
· Section 3.1 – Design Constraints
Economic:
Our design should run very similar in price to that of an iPhone ($178)
Environmental:
No real environmental constraints pertaining to the technology itself, however with all your information being in one location there is a constraint on personal responsibility.
Health and Safety:
As with all electronic devices, there is a charge in the circuitry that if tampered with could lead to a shock. Also, excessive prolonged viewing of the display screen could cause eye irritation.
Manufacturability:
The Digital Wallet Device is a very complex technological device; however there are many manufacturers that should be able to facilitate our needs. Several cell phone manufacturers could be of use such as Apple, Dell, Garmin, Google, and HP.
Sustainability
None of our constraints are very hard-pressed to stopping this project from being successful and as technology improves and becomes more widespread, these constraints will dwindle even further away from being major concerns.
· Section 3.2 – Ethical and Professional Responsibilities
As an ethically responsible user of the Digital Wallet Device, leaving the device fully loaded with personal information and then misplacing it can have drastic effects. Whether or not the user should be placing that vital of information is up to them, however the project relies heavily on protection and security so if the user happens to lose his/her device, the information will stay safe for as long as possible.
As a professionally responsible user of the Digital Wallet Device, using the device while at work or during a scholastic event is looked down upon and should not be done unless otherwise told by either a boss or teacher.
· Section 3.3 – Multidisciplinary Teamwork Planning
Computer Engineers
o Design the infrastructure for the electrical hardware components to interact with the software.