SaveTots: IoT System for Monitoring Children and Animal in Vehicles

This article addresses the development of SaveTots, an IoT prototype designed to prevent children and animals from being left in passenger vehicles. The proposal arose in response to the increasing cases of vehicular heatstroke deaths and the lack of effective alert systems. The project integrates sensors and wireless communication technologies, employing the ESP32 microcontroller and the LoRa protocol, to detect the presence of occupants and the absence of the responsible person, triggering safety alerts in risk situations. A qualitative methodology, based on the work of Lakatos and Marconi (2003), was adopted to understand the human and technological factors contributing to these occurrences and to guide the development of the device. The results indicate that SaveTots is a viable, low-cost solution that is easily adaptable to different vehicle models. It is concluded that the device contributes to accident prevention and raises awareness about responsibility in the transportation of children and animals.