A2 Group 10 - Group Project

Overview

Our goal is to expand on Adam’s project idea which is to produce a device that will automatically close a child-proof gate and turn on a night light when a motion sensor is triggered using an Arduino. We call the project ‘Baby Boom Gate’.

Motivation

By leaving the gate open, parents like Adam can make things convenient for themselves, however this in turn makes things dangerous for their young children. Adam describes that his child, and likely other people’s children, have a habit to wander about and so they must keep the gate closed which, when they are sleeping, could be quite inconvenient, as opening and closing causes noise that could wake them up. With this device, parents could leave the gate open without fear of harm. We have provided some market research to help supplement this motivation.

Market Research and Analytics

Global Market: Overview

The Baby Safety Gate are safety devices installed in houses with toddlers and/or pets intended to prevent entry from certain high-risk places like stairs, outdoor spaces, or even certain rooms. According to Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence LLP (2020), “the market was valued at US$783.014 million in 2019”. Birth rate is currently at a steady decline globally as seen as in Figure 3 however that has not hindered the growing demand for secure and safer home environments as consumers become more aware of growing safety risks to their children which is having an adverse relationship in the demand for more baby gates.

 

Figure 1: Global birth rate trend by United Nations, 2019

 

Growing middle-class populations and urbanisation especially in developing areas is also a major factor boosting the demand in numerous premium baby care products (Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence LLP 2020). In Figure 4 which is reported in the US, it is evident that while ‘Baby Safety and Convenience’ takes up the lowest percentile of market share, it is projected to keep rising as the years progress. Where does this leave ‘Baby Boom Gate’ as a market competitor?

 

Figure 2: US Baby Product market share by Grand View Research, 2019

 

Global Baby Gates Market: Segmentation

According to Fact.MR (2021) the global baby gates market can be segmented based on product type, which are:

• Hardware-Mounted Baby Gates
• Pressure-Mounted Baby Gates
• Freestanding Baby Gates

Hardware mounted gates are the most popular. Typically, these are made with metal hardware which provides better safety since they are affixed to your wall. Since Baby Boom Gate is designed to work with a hardware mounted gate this suits the market need to supply some form of product accessory to each hardware gate as it is versatile in the use of it.

Another popular venture in this currently established market, according to Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence LLP (2020) is the R&D that is driving the market growth. Whilst this does invite more competitors because a lot of companies are launching new products with the aim to capture more market share, Baby Boom Gate has R&D appeal which other companies are currently not boasting. The most recent innovation baby gate wall protector and magnetic cabinet lock from China in June 2019, which leaves Baby Boom Gate in a more futuristic newer market of child safety products.

Market Appeal: Baby Boom Gate

There have been plenty of DIY Arduino-based projects in customising gates, and some for baby safety gates, but none have opened the idea of sensor based, self-closing and alert technologies. Even the major baby gate companies such as Cardinal Gates Summer Infant Products, Dorel Juvenile Group (Safety 1st) and Tee-Zed Products (Dream Baby), are only as far as having self-locking gates.

Baby Boom Gate is the modern touch on this market that the baby safety product needs. It makes leaving the gate open for parents convenient, but also the provides the security of knowing the toddler will not wander only to meet some potentially fatal trip disaster. Making baby gates essentially safer and more convenient in its use.

Description

‘Baby Boom Gate’ and the processes that make up its conception will be outlined in the following sections:

• Software and Technology – which will describe the software and tech involved.
• Budgeting and materials list – which will describe how much the individual components will cost.
• Implementation – which is a ‘how to’ with various examples and a brief outline of the skills required to accomplish this.
• Strengths and Limitations – which describes the overall strengths of the current layout and limitations with potential for improvements.

 

Software and Technology

Technology: Arduino

While for this project, either an Arduino or a Raspberry Pi could be applicable, the decision fell on Arduino. This decision was based on the fact that a small compact system is needed to be installed on or next to a baby gate, and while Raspberry Pi might have a more comprehensive system, the fact that it needs a power outlet made it unsuitable for this project's approach. An Arduino can be operated with a 9V battery pack and therefore is better suited for this application. While running on low energy, Arduino is still a system that can read inputs, like a sensor or even a Twitter message, and turn it into an output. This output can activate a motor, turn on an LED or even send a message to a smartphone.

According to Arduino Introduction (2021), the Arduino resembles a simple and accessible system, and the software needed to program the onboard IC runs on all major platforms, including Windows and Mac operating systems. It adds that the software is easy to use for beginners, which most team members are, but is also flexible enough for advanced users. Like the Arduino boards, the software is also open-source and hence, is growing through users' contributions.

There are many other microcontrollers and microcontroller platforms available for physical computing. Parallax Basic Stamp, Netmedia's BX-24, Phidgets, MIT's Handyboard, and many others offer similar functionality. Nevertheless, Arduino offers some distinct advantages for teachers, students and interested amateurs. First, the Arduino Platform is relatively inexpensive. A complete Arduino starter kit is available for around $120, while a Raspberry Pi starts at $163. However, for this project, the entire kit is not even necessary, and the team just acquired the necessary equipment for only around $50. Second, as this project is performed by a team that is spread around Australia, the cross-platform compatibility of the Arduino software proves beneficial. The software is free of charge, and every team member can contribute from their PC or Mac system. As it is open source, there is likely even already a solution available online.

The Arduino platform itself is very versatile and can be easily expanded with socalled shields. Shields are available for almost any application: Ethernet and WiFi networking, Bluetooth, GSM cellular networking, motor control, RFID, audio, SD Card memory, GPS, data logging, sensors, colour LCD screens, and more. Shields can extend Arduino's functionality and are designed to fit into the Arduino's pin sockets. With only a couple of wires, additional functionality like relays and motors can be connected. For even further functionality, a so-called breadboard can be used to connect even more elements.

Technology: Motion Sensor

For the desired application, while using Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity, it might be possible to use a sensor like the Cygnett Smart Motion Sensor as seen in Figure 1 to wirelessly transmit a motion signal to the Arduino, so that a motor gets activated and the baby gate can be shut.

 

 

Figure 1: Cygnett Smart Motion Sensor by Harvey Norman, 2020

PIR is short for Passive Infrared, it is essentially a pyroelectric sensor that detect levels of infrared radiation, such as that given off by a human. They are typically small, inexpensive, low-power and easy to use, making them ideal for applications around the home that need to detect when a human has passed in or out of the sensors range (Adafruit 2014).

Software: Arduino IDE 1.8.15

 

The open-source Arduino Software (IDE) makes it easy to write code and upload it to the board. This software can be used with any Arduino board. Arduino Software is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. There's also an Arduino Web Editor which you can start to code online and save your sketches in the cloud. The most up-to-date version of the IDE includes all libraries and supports new Arduino boards.

 

Budgeting and Materials

Using Jaycar as a Pricing Guide for the components:

To build one unit, the cost of the required parts is $56.70. To save expenses it would be better to buy the components to build at least 25 units, as the cost per unit would decrease to $43.79.

Jaycar offer a bulk discount pricing structure on most of the items they retail (Jaycar 2021).

An initial cost of $5.95 is required to purchase a USB A to USB B Printer Cable for programming the units. This cable would be a one-off purchase that can be used to program all units regardless of quantity.

 

Implementation

To assemble the unit, begin by connecting the motor controller to the Duinotech board. IN1 on the controller should connect to D8 (Digital In/Out 8) on the board, IN2 to D9, IN3 to D10 and IN4 to D11. Then connect positive power (+) on the controller to the 5V pin on the board; this is the power supply for the motor. Then connect negative (-) to ground (GND). Once the motor is connected, connect the PIR motion sensor. Connect OUT on the sensor to D7 (Digital In/Out 7) on the Duinotech board. Then connect MD H on the sensor to 3.3V on the board; this is the power supply for the sensor. Lastly connect GND to GND.

For the switch, connect the positive lead on the 9V battery connector to the power pin of the switch. Connect the ACC pin on the switch to Vin on the board and the negative lead on the 9V battery connector to GND on the board. These connections are all as per the schematic diagram (Appendix A). Finally, the board can be connected to a computer with a USB A to USB B 2.0 cable, allowing the download of a program to the board. Once the program is downloaded, the device is complete.

For the program required to run the device, code to activate the stepper motor was found on Instructables.com (Rawashdeh 2018), code to read from the motion sensor was supplied with the product documentation (Jaycar 2021). The two sets of code were combined and altered so that the device would receive input from the sensor before triggering the motor to engage.

 

Strengths

Rapid Development

The project is using a development board, which means that changes to the underlying software and hardware and relatively easy to change during testing. This development environment allows us to easily test and validate new ideas to overcome any of the limitations that we encounter.

Potential for smart home Integration

Baby Boom Gate can be used with a wireless router to emit data from the sensors through to the Arduino device. This means that other devices, such as smart phones or laptops, that are also connected to Wireless local area network will be able to interact with these devices.

Ease of Production

All the individual components are relatively cheap and easy to acquire. Assembly time is minimal and, once the code is finalised, it is infinitely reusable, simply needing to be downloaded onto the device. Meaning that, once a prototype design is completed, the product could go to market in a short amount of time with few obstacles.

 

Limitations

Battery Life

Using a development board draws significantly more power from a battery than it would with a more stripped-down, production ready device. A stepper motor is also going to consume a significant amount of power from a 9V battery. Current estimates indicate this could be less than 48 hours of operation in the current configuration.

Disadvantages of PIR Motion Sensors

PIR motion sensors come with their own disadvantages. For instance, they are easily interfered with by various heat sources, ambient temperatures close to human temperatures reduce detection and sensitivity, and if human infrared radiation is blocked by other objects, it might not be detected by the probe at all.

Multiple Points of Failure

There are multiple points of failure in the project, including the PIR sensor, the router that communicates between the sensor and the Arduino and the battery power of the device itself. If any one of these components fail the project stops performing its function and cannot ensure the safety of the child.

Safety Standards

Given that there are multiple limitations to our project idea, further investigation would need to be undertaken to determine whether we are meeting safety standards for safety gates and barriers. Currently there is not an Australian safety standard for safety gates and barriers, however there are two international standards: the European EN 1930 and the American ASTM F10004. Achieving either one of these safety standards would be a good starting point for further refinement of our project.

 

Outcome

At this point in time, the device will operate based on the input from the motion sensor to turn the motor. It will stop turning once there is no longer signal from the sensor and will turn again on repeated inputs. More testing will be required to establish if it is strong enough to close the gate as is, or if a larger motor will be required as well as to the best way to mount the device in situ. However, it is apparent that this is a viable device with actual potential. It could be expected to be completed and operable within a matter of weeks.

While the production is cost effective as is, prices for the parts come down by over 20% on bulk purchases, further increasing the potential commercial appeal. If, as it seems, there is a market for such a device, it is easy to imagine that further discounts could be arranged on even larger purchases. Adding in to this the reusability of the code, and the end result is an inexpensive product with broad appeal.

There are, of course, further improvements that could be made. An important safety feature would be an alert noise when battery power is becoming low. There could also be a nightlight attachment to be triggered simultaneously with the motor. The PIR motion detector could possibly be swapped for a combination of a Laser Diode Emitter and an LDR sensor to create a light-based tripwire. It would also be possible to include wireless connectivity to gain better separation of the sensor from the gate, providing more of a time buffer between the detection of motion and the gate closing. These options will require testing and research for both feasibility and cost effectiveness.

A video can be found here to show the motor in action as a proof of concept before further improvements are made to create a workable device that can be connected to the gate itself.

 

References:

Fact. MR 2021, Baby Gates Market, Consumer Goods, viewed 11th July 2021

Grand View Research 2019, Baby Product Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Product (Cosmetic & Toiletries, Baby Food, Baby Safety & Convenience), By Region (North America, MEA, APAC, Europe), And Segment Forecasts, 2019 – 2025, Online JPEG Image, viewed 13th July 2021

Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence LLP 2020, Baby Safety Gate and Bedrail Market Size, Share, Opportunities, And Trends by Product (Safety Gate, Bedrail), By Distribution Channel (Online, Offline) And by Geography - Forecasts From 2020 To 2025, Market Research, viewed 13th July 2021

United Nations 2019, World Birth Rate 1950-2021, Online JPEG Image, viewed 12th July 2021

Adafruit 2014, PIR Motion Sensor Overview, Adafruit, viewed 17th July 2021

Arduino Introduction 2021, What is Arduino?, Arduino, viewed 8th July 2021

Arduino Reference 2021, Language Reference, Arduino, viewed 8th July 2021

Jaycar 2021, Products, Jaycar Electronics, viewed 8th July 2021

Jaycar 2021, XC4444 PIR Sensor, Jaycar Electronics, viewed 8th July 2021

Harvey Norman 2021, Cygnett Smart Motion Sensor, Online JPEG image, viewed 9th July 2021

Rawashdeh, M 2018, BYJ48 Stepper Motor, Instructables Circuits, viewed 8th July 2021