Inspiration
Not all doors have door openers and many door openers are too high or are at inconvenient locations for people in wheelchairs. We wanted to create a door opener that is easy to access for people with disabilities and creates a more inclusive environment for the disabled and is not intrusive for those without disabilities.
What it does
We created an application that allows people with disabilities to open doors directly from their smartphones, using Bluetooth signal to interact with a device we designed to open the door. We also created an option in the app to use voice activation to open the door instead of tapping the phone in order to make our app more accessible to those with vision impairments as well.
How I built it
We started off by creating a wireframe of our project in order to plan our vision for the product. We created an emulation of the app and then coded it using Android Studio. We 3D printed a half-scale model of the device that will receive Bluetooth signals from the phone.
Challenges I ran into
Using Bluetooth signal may open more doors than just the intended door, so with further time, a system can be implemented to have codes for each individual door, with the code displayed next to each door, which will eliminate this potential issue. Another complication that could arise is a lack of Bluetooth signal, which can be remedied by having a stripe button on the door which is reachable from any height and is similar to the stop tape on buses.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
We are proud of the team-building we underwent and the common goal we shared and achieved of creating a more inclusive and open campus and world.
What I learned
It is hard to be productive in the early mornings, no matter how strong the motivation to better society is.
What's next for DivHack ADA Allies
We will all continue pursuing creating a better environment for the people around us, as well as continue to hone our skills in coding and design and creativity.
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