Currently, Makerspace mentors have to check that the people using machines are trained on them. A previous XProjects team came up with the idea of automating this task.
After milling the printed circuit board, the microcontroller and resistors had to be soldered to it.
Decision tree for our final prototype
XPROJECTS:
Lockout Device
BACKGROUND
During the Spring 2021 semester, I applied and was accepted to a program within the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering called XProjects. Through this program, teams of engineering students work on a project from a client, such as a local company or research group.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Swanson School of Engineering has several Makerspaces, whose purpose is to help students get hands-on experience with design and fabrication. Mentors are on duty during open hours and are available to train students on machines and help with projects.
Currently, Makerspace mentors have to constantly check that students using machines are properly trained on them. Not only is this prone to human error, but mentors could better spend their time on other tasks.
A previous XProjects came up with the idea of automating this task and created a non-functioning prototype.
IMPROVEMENTS & TESTING
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Added an LED and buzzer that indicate the status of the lockout device (e.g. the LED turns green when the user's Pitt ID is accepted and red when it is not)
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Designed and milled a printed circuit board to make the device more compact
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Tested prototype with multiple machines, including a fan and a drill press
RESULTS
Our final prototype was able to scan a user's Pitt ID and take one of three actions, as shown in the diagram to the left.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special thanks to my team members:
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Junshang Jia (Computer Science)
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Joel Yang (Computer Science)
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Alexis Zito (Mechanical Engineering)
And others who helped out with this project:
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Brandon Barber
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Dr. William Clark
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Dan Yates