Tag Archives: concept

Folding Concept, Prototyping, and IEEE Expo

The SmartLockers team discussed ideas for the concept folding locker. The goal of the locker is to have a set of folding locker to accommodate for pop-up camps and field events.  The design will allow for quick deployment and take-down. The idea was a brain child of our community partner Ehb Teng from AtHack, inc. A few CAD drawing were made to further develop the design.

Regarding the main design.  There are a few tasks that need to be completed. The first task is to test the prototype’s heat dissipation, tilt safety and current draw to ensure design verification of the locker. The team is scheduled to test the prototype next week before meeting with GCC to validate the design. The second task is to get feedback from the Gilroy Compassion Center to validate and verify the functionality and design of the prototype locker. A meeting has been scheduled to meet with the GCC. The third task is to integrate the user interface software with the locker and test its usability. Once these tasks are approved and verified, our last task would be to send the design to a outside machine shop to build a set with the specified  materials and dimensions. A Prototype was made using a thinner gauge sheet metal to get an idea of the dimensions.

Additionally, the team presented at the IEEE Expo in February.  The expo was in partnership with San Jose State University and Santa Clara University to show of community projects from both schools.  A handful of participants received grants funding to expand the scope of the projects. The project that received funding for SJSU EPICS include, Team Aquaponics, Underwater ROV team, and the SmartLocker Team.

Moving Forward With New Ideas – SmartLockers

This week, the SmartLockers team developed  sketches for some new concepts and ideas to integrate into our existing design for the purpose of making the lockers more modular. The team met this week on February 12 to discuss these lockers’ new design; the sketches and brainstorming are shown on the image to the right.  

The idea is to add hinges on the inside edges of each locker to make them easier to set up and put away. In other words, this would be a “fold-able” concept. This idea surfaced when it came to stability. One team member pointed out that by placing rod-type of design on each edge, the lockers would be placed in one space and would not be able to move once set up. Additionally, a wooden locker prototype was also shown and discussed upon among the team. Lastly, this week the team also focused on designing a poster and presentation for the IEEE expo on February 18.

After creating a draft for both items, it was then presented to Dr. Julia Thompson during the following class hours. Using Dr. Thompson’s constructive criticism and feedback, the team worked on polishing the project presentation while spending time during class to finish the project poster. This included editing text, creating new image concepts, and striving to make the poster look more appealing. After working on it later that night, the team sent the poster to Dr. Thompson to be printed. To the right  is the final poster creation that will be shown and demoed at the expo.

Project Update

Initially, combining the two distinct needs of the Gilroy Compassion Center and AtHack Inc was a glaring setback for the team. We have found a solution by working on two separate but related deliverables for each community partner: new working lockers for the GCC and a more complex smart locker system design for AtHack. Acknowledging the lack of tech support the GCC has had with their smart lockers, we are planning on creating easy to use mechanical lockers with charging ports inside. The lockers are set to be modular in design so there will be a level of customizability with the size and shape of locker doors. The GCC locker designs will serve as a starting point and will be updated with more features for the AtHack design.

Currently, two locker designs have been drafted in SOLIDWORKS incorporating the Ikea inspired idea, one shown below.

We are also considering the concept of an openable frame that opens all lockers at once to act as a master key for all the lockers. The lock design and manufacturing company, Digilock, also provide a possible solution to a smart mechanical lock. The product we are considering offers a fair amount of security with its mechanical user set combination and master key override.

Digilock’s mechanical locker lock
Find more information here: https://digilock.com/locker-locks/mech/

On, Friday, October 12, we met with technical advisor Dr. Rhee to discuss the potential problems with the designs. She has given us valuable insight on subjects to analyze with the proposed locker such as the heat generated from the outlets if all were used at once and a manufacturer-friendly design.