WALRUS: A retro communication gadget based on internet of things technologies

Abstract

In this work, a new system depending on a device that can encode and decode push-button signals, modulated using Morse code conventions, were developed to build a low-cost communication medium based on Internet of Things (IoT). The proposed system consists of two parts: a base station and handheld terminals. The base station is a single board computer with a web application based on Node.js. Handheld terminals are small battery powered devices, developed using MCU's, that can communicate with the base station over the wireless network. They can encode and decode Morse code, and convert to text or speech depending on the configuration of the terminal, which can be extended by using different add-ons, such as an OLED screen or a text to speech module. Communication between terminals is orchestrated by the base station using IoT Technologies like MQTT. The handheld terminals can be used by disabled people as a mean for private conversation, or a gadget for entertainment purposes. The system is an uncomplicated and low-cost communication medium and implemented to find alternative use cases for the IoT technologies.