Dlivr : An Interdisciplinary project merging Design & Arduino
Dlivr is a system to improve the awareness of delivery services. Often alongside digital shopping, consumers like knowing when packages arrive at their door, especially with time-sensitive goods like food. Dlivr tackles issues of miscommunication with delivery services by implementing a visual and audible alarm system.
When approaching the Dlivr product, delivery services will be prompted with a message to drop-off goods on the pressure sensor platform. The weight of the object will set off a thankful response on the LCD display and trigger an alarm inside the house that will buzz a friendly tune and display an LED light showcasing the weight of the object. Weight is distinguished by colour, green representing ease and therefore a lighter object. Red is used for heavy objects to demonstrate warning while blue is used for moderately-weighed objects. Blue is used to create a greater distinction from green and red as LEDs showcase green, red, and blue more individualistically from others, allowing people with sight disabilities to better recognize the different weight classifications.
The alarm will continue to ring until the item is removed from the platform and the program will reset to its original state.
Parts & Specifications
Arduino Uno Rev3 (1), USB cable (1), 830 breadboard (1), M/M jumper wire (9), M/F jumper wire (4), Aligator jumper wire (2), 220ohm 5% resistor (4), 10k 5% resistor (1), RGB LED common cathode (1), FSR sensor (1), DC buzzer (1), 2004 LCD display (1), I2C serial interface (1), soldering iron (1), lead-free solder coil (1)
C++ Arduino Code
Process Outline
The preliminary version of Dlivr was to map the range of an FSR sensor and apply a buzzer when it falls within a certain range. This method however created limitations in not allowing to target multiple ranges within the mapped area, and also did not allow for varied buzzer tones and delays. In version 2, I applied an ‘if’ statement to read a certain range and apply an
output sequence that is a bit friendlier.
The final version implements a few more added elements. First, I applied different coloured states depending on 3 levels of pressure, low, medium, and high. As stated in the product description, low pressure to linked to the green LED, medium shows a blue LED, and high pressure is the red LED. Another addition was including an LCD display monitor that displays a prompt for delivery services to place the item on the platform. Once pressure has been added to the sensor, a response will print on the screen, stating a thankful message to the delivery person. In order to add the LCD display monitor, I purchased additional alligator jumper wires, the 2004 LCD monitor, and an I2C serial interface to limit the number of wires needed to attach to the Arduino. I then soldered the LCD monitor with the I2C serial interface in order to stabilize the connection.
After developing the final product, I staged the 2 points of interest, the perspective of the delivery service and of the user. This was to showcase how Dlivr interacts with the delivery service using only the LCD monitor and FSR sensor, and the user with the LED and buzzer outputs.
Future Directions
To take Dlivr to the next level, I will consider making alterations to the product to create smoother interactions. To start, I would make the LCD monitor larger for the delivery service to more easily read. I
would also want to reconsider another input module as the current pressure sensor has certain limitations in how items need to be placed in order to accurately read the weight.
For the user, I would want to incorporate another aspect of the alarm that could stop or temporarily pause it. This could mean implementing another physical aspect such as a dial or button for users to interact with. To push the experience further. I would want to research ways of incorporating voice-control devices such as Alexa or Google Home. By adding Dlivr into the home system, people could more easily control the alarm system and improve the quality of its experience.
