The aim of the project was to create a Li-Fi-based indoor navigation system.
The system created so far utilizes LEDs connected to a NodeMCU to send data to a server. It utilizes Djikstra's algorithm to find the shortest path between two points, and the data collected is stored using MongoDB.
Data is encoded in light by varying the rate with which LEDs switch between ON and OFF states. This light falls upon a detector, such as an LDR, which in turn transmits these variations to the development board - in this case, the ESP8266. The information transmitted consists of location data, which is in turn stored in a database using MongoDB. An architecture is created through the Djikstar Python library, which uses Djikstra's algorithm to find the shortest path.
Indoor navigation systems assume importance due to the fact that systems like the GPS cannot provide this functionality.
Li-Fi becomes a good candidate to base such a system upon because it offers higher speed of communication as compared to Wi-Fi. It comprises of LEDs transmitting data using visible light. The usage of LEDs reduces energy consumption by 50%. The transmissions themselves are invisible to the human eye and hence cause no inconvenience.