Project
| # | Title | Team Members | TA | Documents | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Secure Smart Locker for Doorstep Delivery |
Ernesto Marquez Maxwell Armbruster Samarth Jain |
William Zhang | design_document1.pdf final_paper1.pdf other1.pdf presentation1.pdf proposal1.pdf |
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| Team Members In-Person: Max Armbruster (maa8), Samarth Jain (samarth3) Online: Ernesto Marquez (ernesto2) # Problem The current global pandemic has moved many people's shopping habits online as e-tailing is much safer than retailing. The result is many more packages sitting idle on doorsteps, vulnerable to package thieves. I've personally had several packages stolen from my doorstep and it's quite frustrating as there isn't much that delivery service companies can do to help you. Your best bet is to order to something like an Amazon Locker or P.O. Box, but those add a layer of inconvenience to "home" delivery and are essentially just as COVID-risky as retail is. # Solution Overview Our solution is to design a secure smart locker to be placed on one's doorstep. Delivery drivers will scan a temporary QR code using a reader mounted to the locker, upon which the door will open. Once the package is placed inside and the door is closed, the locker will use the owner's WiFi to notify him/her of the delivery. Both the owner and the delivery person will interact with the locker using a mobile app that we develop. # Solution Components ## Mechanical Design Ideally, the locker should have a footprint that’s roughly 14”x16” and a height of at least a few feet, to accommodate most package sizes. Since having a prototype that fits these dimensions exactly is not critical to demonstrate our project’s function, we may deviate from these measurements. Namely, we might make it smaller to make transportation and storage of the prototype easier. Any appropriately sized container with a hinged door/lid should work for modification. ## Power We plan to use a 12V DC power adapter that will plug into the wall jack on one’s porch or in one’s apartment lobby. The other end will feed through a small access hole in the locker and go straight to our PCB. From there we will have overvoltage, overcurrent, and reverse current protection, before breaking out into whatever other power we need (5V, 3.3V, etc.). We’d also like to include a rechargeable battery solely for powering the alarm (detailed below) in the case that the power is disconnected by someone trying to steal the locker. This would be accessible inside of the locker for the owner to recharge/replace. ## Security For the latching system on the door we can use some sort of cheap ~$10 solenoid lock. We would want one that is fail secure (door remains locked when power is disconnected). If we go too cheap, the lock could be damaged by someone trying to force the locker open, but I'd like to imagine that your average customer wouldn't have to worry about someone trying to forcibly access the locker more than once. We could always offer to repair the lock for free if it is damaged in this manner. After all, the point of a lock isn't to make something impossible to access, but rather inconvenient and attention-drawing. To help in drawing attention, we plan to use a speaker on the locker to sound an alarm in the case that the locker is unplugged and stolen. This speaker will be powered by the rechargeable battery mentioned above. If the owner is planning on unplugging the locker themselves, the battery is accessible on the inside of the locker for them to unplug it and disable the alarm. When the locker is powered, this speaker will be used to beep softly while the door is open, to remind delivery people to close it before they leave. Finally, we will mount a camera to the front/top of the locker which will take a picture whenever the locker is opened. This picture will be included in the notification sent to the owner. A live feed from this camera can be accessed from the mobile app. ## Mobile App We will design a mobile app to be used by the owner of the smart locker to receive delivery notifications, unlock the device remotely, and access a live feed of the security camera. For the purpose of this prototype, this app will also be used by the delivery person to display the QR code for unlocking the device. # Criterion for Success We would consider our project a success if it achieves: - Secure locking mechanism that makes it inconvenient for a thief to access the locker interior, to the point where they would rather move on to the next house - Mobile app that allows the owner and delivery person to interact with the locker - Speaker that doubles as an alarm when the locker is unplugged The camera would be nice but the locker could function without it, in case we run short on time. If we instead have extra time, we can direct our attention to fleshing out the mobile app, maybe allowing the owner to speak through the speaker on the locker, to talk to a delivery person who needs instruction, or to taunt would-be thieves. ## COVID Shutdown Contingency Plan In case we end up going online, I plan to make a simple version of the locker in my garage, such that it doesn’t require a PCB. I could probably use a breadboard and just ditch the camera. Our other group members can then work on the mobile app, and we can pretend like the app is able to communicate with the locker. |
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