UNLOCKING SUCCESS BY DHRUV S. Invent-It Challenge In the world, there are many people with disabilities that prevent them from doing everyday things. An example of this is opening a locker. Everyone has their own troubles with a locker once in a while. These students have troubles with their locker every single day. Schools have tried to prevent frustration by simply removing the lock on the locker. But that ruins the reason the locker was put there in the first place. Now I set out to find a solution which can open the locker for the student and still keep the locker secure. The Problem Past Solutions Other than removing the lockers actual lock there have been a number of solutions that may just not work for everyone. One solution is replacing the entire locker for an electronic locker. These lockers are a great solution, but they are sold in systems which are costly and require great sums of money. Another solution is rigging the locker for a key and padlock. A key will not prove successful in all cases. The kids at my school have disorders such as Downs syndrome which prevents them from having a good memory. Lost keys can and will be a problem and may not be the best solution. Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea. Jim Rohn The Solution Taking Time After taking some thought, I decided to make a robotic device that can open the locker for the students. The enclosure will be mounted onto the locker. Locker Dial A rubber sleeve that can grip the lockers dial Buttons for Commands and/or for 4 digit passcodes Inside there will be a small computer and a motor that can supply the small movements needed to open a locker. An enclosure for the project Looking for Parts Now came the difficult part. Looking for parts that would best suit my needs. As I was looking for parts I researched on how my idea could be accomplished. There were many ways to go about this but I finally found the perfect solution, an Arduino Uno. This small electronic board allowed me to add any motor I wished and allowed programming on the device. Next I had to look for a power source and an accurate motor. I debated with myself what would be the easiest solution and figured simple AA batteries would work fine. Finding an accurate motor was the toughest part of my research. I flopped from servos to steppers many times trying to figure out which one to use, until I found that servos dont allow a 360 degree turning radius which was required for the project. An another add- on for the Arduino was required to handle power for the stepper so I found that too and added it to the part list. Final Part List for Basic Prototype: 1. Arduino Uno 2. Arduino Motor Shield R Volt AA Battery Pack w/ Snap Connector 4. AA Batteries 5. Stepper Motor Try to learn something about everything and everything about something. - Thomas Huxley The Prototype Top View Side View Power Source Motor Programming As a decent programmer programming the device wasnt much of a difficulty. I simply had to calculate the distance between the notches on a locker dial and multiply that by the # of numbers away from zero. I used a test dummy locker made out of an image I made in Photoshop to test my programming. Here are the test results: Improvements After looking through my code one more time I was able to improve the accuracy of my device down to an average of about 1 unit of deviation from the actual number. During the testing the device would get extremely hot. Almost too hot to touch even. I found that power was not being transferred properly to the stepper motor, which was the result of a loose wire. To prevent this problem for happening again I screwed the wires down into the hub so there would be a tight connection. No manufacturer made a rubber sleeve so I improvised with a small arrow during the tests. I couldnt add a keypad, since it was out of my reach in the moment due to shortages of parts. (It happens! ) Eventually I wish to add the enclosure, the rubber sleeve, and the keypad to the device so that it can be attached completely to the locker and finish the prototype. Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver. - Ayn Rand Time to Sell Unlocking Success Do you have issues with your locker? Almost all people do. This product can remove the hassle of opening your locker permanently. You might be thinking, why would I want this? Have you ever been late to a class because you forgot your locker combo, the locker wouldnt open, or tried to open the wrong locker? Honestly, I have. This product easily changes a difficult dial into an easy to remember 4 digit code such as the passcode on your smartphone. The product can also be used for disabled children. No longer does the student have to wait by the locker for you to open it. He/she can become independent and rely only on themselves to open the locker. This product saves time and is less money than a system of electronic lockers. And you dont have to buy it for the entire school; only for the people that need it! unlocks the ability to open the common locker easily