Inspiration
With the rise of technology in the 21st Century, package delivery services like Amazon, USPS and more have become much more popular and customers face the problem of safely receiving packages delivered to them. This project aims to address this problem by developing a smart security system for collecting and securing packages so they are retrieved safely by the owners of the home. We took inspiration from a mix of real-life smart home security products. Specifically, our project draws inspiration from products such as motion detection systems, sound alarm systems, and door camera technology. Our final idea is an delivery system security box that opens and closes based on facial recognition software, ultrasonic sensors, and RFID sensors.
What it does do
It's a carrier safe system for any package being delivered to your doorstep. When a package is delivered to a mailbox by a delivery person, access to the mailbox is granted by authentication from an RFID sensor using a valid ID and an ultrasonic sensor. The owner of the delivery system can also grant access to the smart mailbox through a private web application that displays the individual attempting to access the mailbox. When the package is to be picked up, the owner of the delivery system can either utilize RFID authentication or facial recognition to access the contents of the box. When the package recipient identifies themselves through either of these methods, a low alarm is sounded and an LCD screen displays “Access granted” after which the owner has ten seconds to remove the package before it automatically locks.
How we built it
The first step in building this project was identifying a valid problem in home systems that needed to be solved and one key thing we identified was a lack of security of packages delivered to homes. Traditional mailboxes do not provide a secure way of ensuring that packages are properly delivered to the actual recipient and we decided to make a project to address this issue. To start, we drew up and discussed conceptual designs that could potentially become the final project and eventually decided on this design due to its cost effectiveness, reliability, and security. The project was built using multiple electronic components primarily utilizing a breadboard with Arduino Uno. An RC522 RFID sensor and an HC-SR04 Ultrasonic sensor were connected to the Arduino microcontroller to authenticate the recipient of the mail as well as a delivery person. A passive buzzer and an LCD display screen were used to display the output of successful authentication. A box-like structure to simulate a mail package delivery system was developed, effectively integrating the hardware and other components of the projects.
Challenges we ran into
The challenges we had to overcome were not being able to utilize the arduino camera as we wanted to, because we were not getting enough bandwidth from it in order to produce a high enough quality in order to even use it as a facial recognition scanning device. Another issue was trying to get a slide door to open fully using the 28BY-J-48 Stepper Motor, getting the right height of the gear to align vertically with the rail in order to properly get the door to slide, that took a while, with trying to figure out whether it was the schematics of the wooden gear and rail.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
There were many accomplishments that stood out in the execution of this project. One of which was being able to integrate both facial recognition, motion sensors, and RFID authentication in our design. Another was being able to incorporate an application that allows the owner of the home to control access to the system through real-time monitoring. The last was being able to successfully create a novel mail package delivery system that would provide proper security and safety for the precious packages delivered to our doorsteps everyday.
What we learned
Working on PakSafe taught us a lot about the use of breadboards, microcontrollers, and other electronic components. It taught us how to effectively integrate hardware and software to create a working project. We also learned more about the use of various software programs and hardware to meet a critical need in society such as the lack of security of packages. to How to use a breadboard, how to code to make an arduino microcontroller to work, getting the dimension of the gear and saw in order to laser cut it into wood.
What's next for PakSafe
One of our next plans is further develop the project to be able to identify specifically mail carriers and to improve upon the structure of the mail box to promote seamless retrieval of the package. We also hope to pitch our project towards Amazon, FedEx, UPS, and major shipping companies that has the interest of their customer's security in mind as well as interested individuals concerned with the safety and security of their delivered packages.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.