Smart library seat, occupant and occupancy information system, using pressure and RFID sensors

Nowadays, Internet of Things is impacting every aspect of human life and its environment. IOT paradigm focuses on the connection of everything to the Internet, and has been adopted in all fields of study. This paper addresses the problem of library seat management. It presents the design and implementation of a solution combining hardware and web application that allows students and librarians to verify the identity of library seat occupants and occupancy status of the library seats from a remote location over the Internet. This can be done either with their connected devices or with connected display systems at the library entrance. The prototype system successfully curtails seat hog practice, time wastage in search of unoccupied seats and phone calls received or made by students in search of their fellow students, while in the library. This research involves the development of a prototype system, made of pressure (force-sensing resistor) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensors for library seats, which sends real¬time seat utilisation status to the web application. Students evaluated the proposed developed system in order to prove the feasibility and importance of these research objectives. The average accuracy rate at 99% for the physical prototype, and the web application response was 90% for real-time report on seat utilization.