Modern emergency systems connect people to centralized services, but they often overlook help that is physically nearby. In situations where someone feels unsafe or infrastructure is unavailable, this gap can delay assistance. Smartphones already have the ability to communicate locally, yet this potential is rarely used for emergency alerts in a privacy-conscious way. This thesis explores how peer-to-peer communication can enable nearby support when it matters most, by designing a decentralized protocol for emergency paging.

💡Areas of Interest: IoT, Peer-to-Peer, Embedded Systems, Mobile Protocols, Emergency Systems

Modern smartphones allow users to trigger an emergency call, for instance by pressing the power button several times. This connects the user with centralized services like 112. But in many situations, nearby individuals could help faster, yet remain unaware. This is particularly relevant in cases where someone feels unsafe but cannot speak or share details openly.

Current emergency communication systems lack a way to alert nearby people, especially in a decentralized, privacy-conscious manner. What’s missing is a peer-to-peer protocol (accepted by industry) that allows devices to page others within a configurable radius, even without internet access.

Such a system becomes even more critical during large-scale emergencies, such as natural disasters or war, when centralized infrastructure may be unavailable or overwhelmed. In these moments, peer-to-peer communication can mean the difference between isolation and timely help.

Inspired by systems like the citizen AED response network, this thesis explores how we can turn smartphones into local safety beacons. The goal: enable people to quietly signal danger and immediately notify those nearby who are on standby to help.

Emergency communication is traditionally centralized, systems like 112 rely on infrastructure and fixed points of contact. Meanwhile, nearly everyone carries a mobile device capable of local communication. There is currently no widely adopted or industry-accepted protocol that leverages this peer-to-peer potential in a privacy-conscious, configurable way. Apps like Bridgefy and Briar show it’s technically possible, but they lack standardization, broad adoption, or seamless integration into mainstream platforms.

A decentralized, proximity-based emergency alert protocol could allow devices to page nearby users, even offline, without requiring centralized servers. The challenge lies in designing a fault-tolerant protocol that enforces privacy settings, scales across devices, and is practical for integration in both operating systems and apps.

The Assignment

Smartphones and IoT devices are capable of local communication, even without internet. In this assignment, you will explore how to use that potential for emergency paging. You will dive into existing technologies like Bluetooth mesh, local Wi-Fi, delay-tolerant networking, and ad hoc mobile networks. Think about how privacy zones could work, how messages can propagate offline, and what makes such a system practical and trustworthy in real-world emergencies.

Based on your research, you'll design a decentralized protocol for peer-to-peer emergency paging. You’ll demonstrate your approach through a working proof of concept, showing how alerts can travel across multiple mobile and/or IoT devices, even without internet access.

Areas to explore

• Proximity-based communication technologies

• Decentralized protocol design

• Privacy-preserving peer-to-peer systems

• Resilience in offline or degraded-network conditions

Key features to consider

• Configurable privacy zones (e.g., only alert within X km)

• Offline alert propagation via Bluetooth or mesh (fallback)

• Standby toggle (user on/off-call availability)

• Support for proxy relaying (one device carries the signal when others are offline)

Success criteria

• Privacy-aware: users control what is shared and with whom

• Decentralized: no dependency on centralized servers

• Offline-capable: works when connectivity is lost

• Practical: feasible for integration into real devices or apps

• Configurable: adaptable to different user needs and risk contexts

Example research question

How can a decentralized, privacy-aware protocol be designed to enable reliable peer-to-peer emergency paging without centralized infrastructure?

About Info Support

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