Jamia Hamdard campus

To dissipate apprehensions of women regarding unsafe hotel rooms, changing rooms, and other spaces, a BTech final year student of Jamia Hamdard has created an app which can detect hidden cameras, even at night-time. The app, called ‘Camera Finder’, is available on Play Store on Android devices.

Camera Finder has been developed by a final year BTech computer science student Faisal Javed (22). “The objective of this app is to ensure safety, by providing a tool to help users find all types of cameras wherever they are. For many travellers, hidden cameras are often worrisome. Many women friends of mine had expressed to me their concerns about cameras and safety, after which I thought of developing the app,” he said.

“It uses two techniques to detect cameras. Night cameras use infrared light, so, for that, night filters can be used to detect them. For other hidden cameras, the device uses a magnetic field. When the app detects a camera-like device, it makes a beeping sound, and a  reading comes on the app showing the percentage of likelihood that a camera is in the vicinity,” he said, adding that the app has to be used along with “common sense”.

Javed said it took him one month to develop the app.

Another BTech final student has developed an app called ‘Collegiate’, also available on Android devices. It is an in-house app of Jamia Hamdard, which makes available course material, syllabi, and notes of all courses taught in the university.

The Collegiate app, developed by Rahul Prasad (21), also a final year BTech computer science student, took three months. The app, he said, provides all “class-notes, reference books, last year question papers, sessional papers, topic wise notes along with mentors who are available 24×7.”

“The idea came because of my personal needs for notes, as I couldn’t be present at the university. In April, shortly after the lockdown, there were 1,000 active users. That time we didn’t even have material related to all courses, now there is a lot more,” said Prasad.

The app is available both online and offline.

“Once you download the content, it is going to be saved in your phone memory and thus, can work equally efficiently without any data connection as well… The application ensures that you focus all your attention only to the learning part without being afraid of missing out something relevant,” Prasad added.