Helping Hand

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  Helping hand: Infographic

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  Close-up of the device

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  Device side shot

Inspiration

The team thought about small difficulties that we face on a regular basis: a teammate who works as a waiter mentioned having a difficult time opening the restaurant's fridge as he regularly held plates in his hands- he could not make certain motions with the hand that required any sort of "grasping movement:" we thought that it would be beneficial to society if we created a device that could prop open doors.

How we built it

We built the device using a servo, Arduino, and a motion sensor. First, we attached a cardboard "stick" onto our servo, then put cardboard around the device to control the direction of the servo. Then, we wired the servo and the motion sensor and programmed it using arduino. As the sensor detects motion, it generates movement in the servo which leads to a slight push that opens the refrigerator.

Challenges we ran into

The team would have liked to have had a stronger servo, but did not have such option, leading to the fridge door only being slightly opened.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

"Using Arduino for the first time" -Caroline Kim The team as a whole is proud of how every individual tried at least one new thing: whether it be programming hardware or wiring boards we worked our way through and at the end, we were successful!

What we learned

We learned new techniques and how to work efficiently as a team together. Some of us learned how to wire devices for the first time, and others learned to code on Arduino.

What's next for Helping Hands

The team not only hopes for this device to be placed in restaurants but also placed in locations in order to help the disabled and the elderly with various tasks: with a stronger servo, we hope to fully open doors for everyone,

Built With

• arduino
• motion-sensor
• servo