SafeStep

BLE Proximity Wander Alert System

Protecting people with dementia — quietly, reliably, openly. No cloud. No subscriptions. Just safety.

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The Problem

Dementia affects over 55 million people worldwide. One of the most dangerous behaviours is wandering — patients walk away from a safe environment without awareness of the risk. Existing commercial solutions are expensive, proprietary, and often require a smartphone or internet connection. There is a clear need for a simple, affordable, open-source device that works offline and alerts a caregiver the moment a patient steps outside a safe zone.

The Solution

SafeStep solves this with two components: a lightweight BLE wristband worn by the patient, and a small USB dongle connected to a caregiver’s PC or dedicated alert station. As long as both devices remain within range, the connection stays active and the system remains silent. The moment the patient walks too far away — the link breaks — and the dongle triggers an alarm.

How It Works

1. Power On — Caregiver places the wristband on the patient’s wrist and presses SET to activate.
2. Pairing — The wristband advertises its BLE identity. The USB dongle scans and connects automatically.
3. Monitoring — The dongle continuously monitors BLE signal strength (RSSI). System remains silent.
4. Alert Triggered — If RSSI drops below threshold or connection is lost, the dongle activates the audible alarm and turns the LED red.
5. Caregiver Response — Caregiver locates the patient and presses SET on the dongle to silence the alarm.
6. Auto-reconnect — Once within range, the wristband and dongle re-establish the BLE link automatically.

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Technical Specifications

Parameter	Specification
MCU	ESP32-C3 / C6 / S3 (student selectable)
Wireless	BLE 5.0 — 2.4 GHz
Range	5 – 30 m (configurable RSSI threshold)
Battery	CR2032 — 3 V coin cell
Battery Life	> 6 months (deep-sleep enabled)
PCB Diameter	≤ 40 mm, round form factor
PCB Layers	2-layer FR4
Antenna	PCB trace or chip antenna (2.4 GHz)
Firmware SDK	ESP-IDF or Arduino-ESP32 (open source)
License	MIT — free to use, modify, distribute

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Project Status

🚀 Status: Stage 1 — Planning, Choosing Right Components

SafeStep is currently in the planning and design phase. We are looking for motivated engineers and contributors to help bring this project to life. Hardware schematics, PCB layout files, firmware source code, and full documentation will be published on GitHub as the project progresses.

Join the Team

SafeStep is built by a global team of engineers and contributors united by one goal — making dementia care safer and more accessible. We currently have one open slot — if you are passionate about embedded systems, PCB design, or BLE firmware and want to contribute to a project that helps people, reach out via our contact page.

Name	Role	Contact
🇺🇸 Mike Midga	🎓 Project Advisor	mile@8bitlab.de
🇩🇪 Blagoy Georgiev	🧑‍🏫 Engineering Mentor	blagoy@8bitlab.de
🇱🇰 Rajitha Rathnayaka	🔧 Engineer Contributor	rajitha.rathnayaka@8bitlab.de
🇨🇺 Alejandro García González	🔧 Engineer Contributor	alejandro.garcia@8bitlab.de
🇰🇪 Salisu Ali	🔧 Engineer Contributor	salisu.ali@8bitlab.de
🌍 Your Name Here	Engineer Contributor	Apply now →

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Open Source Repository

Everything you need to build your own SafeStep system is freely available under the MIT licence.

Repository	github.com/8bitlab/safestep
Licence	MIT — free for commercial and non-commercial use
Hardware	KiCad schematic + PCB files included
Firmware	ESP-IDF & Arduino-ESP32 builds provided
Docs	Full assembly guide, BOM, and flashing instructions
Community	Issues, pull requests, and forks welcome