A Novel Social Distancing Approach for Limiting the Number of Vehicles in Smart Buildings Using LiFi Hybrid-Network

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 15;20(4):3438. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20043438.

Abstract

The coronavirus (COVID-19) has arisen as one of the most severe problems due to its ongoing mutations as well as the absence of a suitable cure for this virus. The virus primarily spreads and replicates itself throughout huge groups of individuals through daily touch, which regretfully can happen in several unanticipated way. As a result, the sole viable attempts to constrain the spread of this new virus are to preserve social distance, perform contact tracing, utilize suitable safety gear, and enforce quarantine measures. In order to control the virus's proliferation, scientists and officials are considering using several social distancing models to detect possible diseased individuals as well as extremely risky areas to sustain separation and lockdown procedures. However, models and systems in the existing studies heavily depend on the human factor only and reveal serious privacy vulnerabilities. In addition, no social distancing model/technique was found for monitoring, tracking, and scheduling vehicles for smart buildings as a social distancing approach so far. In this study, a new system design that performs real-time monitoring, tracking, and scheduling of vehicles for smart buildings is proposed for the first time named the social distancing approach for limiting the number of vehicles (SDA-LNV). The proposed model employs LiFi technology as a wireless transmission medium for the first time in the social distance (SD) approach. The proposed work is considered as Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication. It might aid authorities in counting the volume of likely affected people. In addition, the proposed system design is expected to help reduce the infection rate inside buildings in areas where traditional social distancing techniques are not used or applicable.

Keywords: LiFi; V2I; energy; pandemic; smart building; social distancing; vehicle scheduling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19* / prevention & control
  • Communicable Disease Control / methods
  • Humans
  • Physical Distancing
  • Quarantine / methods
  • SARS-CoV-2

Grants and funding

The publication of this research is supported by the Publication Fund under the Tan Sri Leo Moggie Chair of Energy Informatics, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN).