IoT Giftbox
This project was part of my undergraduate degree. We were tasked with developing an interesting IoT device in order to experiment with networks. Oh, and yes, it's meant to be a silly idea... it's just not that funny.
Abstract
In this age of ubiquitous Internet connectivity and the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) it is surprising that the antiquated method of exchanging gifts has not been modernized. This research intends to rectify this as we introduce the Smart Gift Box; Smart Gift Boxes come in pairs and provide a means of exchanging gifts in a synchronized manner. The contents of any given box may only be accessed when its counterpart is also unlocked. This is achieved through the combination of motorized locks, smart phone applications, Cloud Storage, combined Arduino and Bluetooth 4 modules and ZigBee radios. This paper details the approaches, successes, failures, challenges and limitations encountered during development. The exploration of such devices does have a more serious application as, for example, they could be used for the secure exchange of physical objects such as documents and property.
