Development of a child-checking cushion equipped with a pressure-sensing sensor
You can check real-time seating status via smartphone
A method that gives a notification only when the Bluetooth connection is disconnected

Last July, amidst a continuing record-breaking heatwave, a 4-year-old child died of suffocation after being trapped in a daycare center's school bus in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province. Unfortunately, this type of safety accident occurs every year.

As part of accident prevention measures, the government has decided to make the installation of 'sleeping child check devices' mandatory starting next year.

The most representative confirmation device is the exit confirmation bell installed at the rear of the vehicle, but since vehicle modifications are required to install the bell, it is time-consuming and expensive.

Furthermore, when using NFC devices, teachers must manually touch each child's NFC tag to the terminal every time they board or alight, which is cumbersome and often causes delays that disrupt vehicle operations.

The method of installing ultrasonic sensors to detect seating status cannot distinguish between people and objects, and there is also controversy regarding the potential harmful effects of ultrasound on the human body.

The Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) announced on the 20th that it has jointly developed a child confirmation cushion with partner companies J-Tech and Kids Soft, which allows users to easily check a child's boarding and alighting status using a smartphone.
The developed cushion has a built-in pressure-sensing sensor that detects whether a child is sitting and automatically connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth. If a teacher installs a dedicated application on a smartphone, they can check seat status in real time, and an alarm sounds immediately if a child is left alone in the vehicle.

Unlike other devices, the child confirmation cushion is practical as it can be used immediately simply by placing it on the seat without any separate installation work. Furthermore, drivers or teachers do not need to look around the vehicle or move their bodies to check if a child has disembarked, and it prevents delays in boarding and alighting.

After purchasing the cushion, you only need to replace the battery every two years without incurring any additional costs.
The core technology of the child detection cushion is a Bluetooth algorithm independently developed by Senior Researcher Cho Han-cheol of the Precision Machining Control Group at the KITECH Southeast Regional Headquarters. While existing commercial algorithms merely provide a notification that the communication connection is lost when the signal weakens due to distance, the developed algorithm provides an alert only when the connection is actually severed. The principle is that when the cushion sensor detects a child inside the vehicle, if the teacher moves a certain distance away from the vehicle, the Bluetooth connection with the smartphone is disconnected, triggering an alarm.

Meanwhile, the development and production of key components for the cushion were carried out through cooperation and division of roles among KIMM's partner companies.

J-Tech, a company specializing in sensor manufacturing, has developed a pressure-sensing sensor capable of quickly and accurately recognizing seat occupancy status by taking into account a child's weight and seating area. KidsSoft, a company specializing in children's smartwatches, was responsible for developing communication components that transmit sensor signals to smartphones and a dedicated application. J-Tech handles the assembly of the manufactured components and the sales of the final product.

"Senior Researcher Cho Han-cheol said, 'Since it is available for online purchase and easy for anyone to use, we expect it to be rapidly distributed to kindergartens nationwide,' adding, 'The related technology has wide scalability, so it can be integrated into infant car seats or school attendance management systems in the future.'"

The child verification cushion is scheduled to be released to the market early next year after undergoing prototype testing.