MicroController Application: Collection Nest

Safety Parcel Keeper with Blynk

Collection Nest is a product that is integrated with WI-FI enabled device and is controlled with an application to safe keep parcels when the owner is not available at home.

Background: MicroController Application (MAPP)

MicroController Application is a module of which Electrical Engineering students from Singapore Polytechnic enrolled in. Students are introduced and taught on the use of microcontrollers in a range of system applications. This module allow the students to develop a project conceived around a microcontroller system with sensors and output devices.

The idea of Collection Nest

Have you or your family members bought an item online and when it got delivered to the house, no one was at home to collect thus the delivery man will just leave the parcel in front of the door? Do you remember the feeling of the anxious of thinking what will happen to the parcel that is left outside?

It is reported by C+R Research that an estimate of 36% of Americans have had a delivered package stolen from outside their home at least once. This when we came up of an idea of creating a parcel keeper that will prevent packages from getting stolen.

We get started right away on the Ideation of the parcel keeper. We ran lots of research and interviews if this is what the masses wants. After running field research and having interview buyers of e-commerce, we start brainstorming different ideation of a parcel keeper. Each with different functions. We then, came up with the final product; Collection Nest, that contains all the strengths of the different ideations combines together. The functions of the initial stage of Collection Nest can be seen below,

Initial Stage of Collection Nest

Making of Collection Nest

Collection Nest consist of different microcontroller working together; ESP8266 Wifi Module and PIC18F4550. Firstly we need to program the ESP8266 to work as intended; programming the ESP8266 to connect with the Blynk application to controlling the servo motors. After countless tries and troubleshooting, we successfully manage to get it to work.

Controlling the ESP8266 with a PowerBank

Once we got the Mobile App and servo motors to work as intended, we can now focus on building and soldering the other modules. We worked on the circuit boards that will be connected to PIC18F4550. The function of these boards for the microcontroller to sense when there is a package inside. The board consist of Infrared Leds and photo transistor. When there is a package in between them, connection is broken thus sending the signal to the microcontroller that there is a package inside. In addition, the boards also holds a push button and a buzzers for anti-theft system.

Boards all Soldered

Once we are done with the hardware, we can now fix it all up and test the functionalities of all the modules and whether if works as a system that we initially planned. After testing it out and it worked as intended, we can start making the shell of the Collection Nest.

Testing out the Modules

To finish off Collection Nest, we Laser cut all of our acrylics and fix it all up. The end product can be seen,

Collection Nest

How Collection Nest Works

Scenario 1: When the delivery man arrived at the front door to deliver the parcel, he will contact the buyer that he has arrived at the front door. The buyer can use the mobile app developed to open the Collection Nest thus, the delivery man can place the item in it. After placing the item, the buyer can close the Collection Nest door by pressing the close button on the mobile app.

Mobile App Developed

Scenario 2: When there is an item placed in the Collection Nest, the infrared sensor will be detected thus informing the microcontroller that there is a package in it. In an event where there is a theft; someone taking off with Collection Nest, it will sent off an alarm with the buzzer built in. Thus, in any case when there is an item in the Collection Nest and when it is carried, the buzzer will go off.

MAPP Design Contest

In addition to the project, the best projects are entered into a "Design Contest", where projects are ranked according to 3 criteria: Good Idea (creativity), Can Do (technical skills) and Can Sell (presentation skills). Collection Nest was one of the selected project to showcase in the Design Contest.

The Team and I at the Design Contest

There were many cool ideas and projects products from students. It was very competitive to stand out to other great projects ideas and their selling points. After a tiring session of presentations to the judges, we are proud to say that we won a MERIT prize. Even though, our project did not manage to secure us a wining title, we had a great time working and producing this project from the start. We are pleased with our Collection Nest and our journey thus far.

Collection Nest Product Video

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