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What is a Home Buddy – Smart Door Lock System? What does it do?

I have created a door lock system using the Raspberry Pi Pico. The door lock creates a safe and calm environment for you and your family, especially in your home office. You can use it for any room in the house.

What is in the box? What is the function of the components in the box?

• Raspberry Pi Pico – Programming Board
• Solenoid: Electrical lock
• MOSFET Driver: To control solenoid
• Buck converter: To supply power to Pico Board
• Barrel Jack: Input Supply
• Keypad: To enter the password enclosure
•  Screen: To view the pin-entry details

Raspberry Pi Pico with case cover: The Raspberry Pi Pico is a tiny, fast, and affordable board built using RP2040. This is a new microcontroller chip from the Raspberry Pi family and you can use it to learn to program fun, practical projects.

The Solenoid acts as an electrical lock.

MOSFET Driver is used to control solenoid

Buck converter supplies power to PicoBoard

Barrel Jack is for input supply

Keypad to enter password enclosure

The screen helps in viewing the pin-entry details.

What problem is your product solving?

As the world embraces working from home, we need an innovative solution to help stop family members from barging into rooms unannounced and ensure privacy or safety in each room. It helps prevent disruptions during meetings; place it outside your home office to stop kids/adults from entering the room without your knowledge during calls/meetings.

How is your product better at solving the problem as compared to the competition? Why should a person choose your product?  

It is an all-in-one simple automated door lock system that operates using a pin-code entry system. Home Buddy enables the user to feel safe enough to leave their laptop unattended without the worry of it being tampered with by kids. The door lock won’t allow people to walk in during video conferences.

This is a multi-purpose lock, making it a perfect choice in this post-pandemic age. It’s a simple, light design and easy to operate, even for the elderly and non-techies!

Who are you?

Hello, my name is Yusuf Sherrief. I’m from London and I have lived in South Africa and the UAE. I am 10 years old and have a brother, a sister, and a cat named Lila. I enjoy racing, and when I grow up, I want to be an F1 driver for Mercedes Benz or McClaren. On my thirteen birthday, I will get a Go-Kart and compete in races.

Where did this project come from?

The thing that inspired me to create this product was the time when we were all at home during the pandemic lockdown. My dad was working from home. He used to be on calls and meetings in the home office, but he wouldn’t lock the door. My younger siblings would run into the room whilst he was on calls, and it became a problem. That’s when I decided to create this product.

Why do you care about privacy and security?

Both parents and children need to have uninterrupted time. For example, a student preparing for their final exam to graduate can study properly after putting the lock outside.

Who will benefit from this product the most? 

All the parents working from home and those who have meetings and calls often. It can also help teenagers or university students by providing them with privacy to study or do online learning peacefully. And it can come in handy when you just need some time alone.

There are other smart door locks on the market. What makes your system unique?

You can easily set it up. The best part is that you assembled it out of a box! So, no need to waste hours and hours watching YouTube videos or hiring a locksmith. We even have instructions if you get stuck. The door lock is compatible with all doors, no matter the size.

Why do you want this to be on a crowdfunding platform? 

This is the prototype of my product. I want to enhance the experience further. For that, I have to buy more parts. I also want to iterate this product. I also wanted to create more such products. I need funds to fulfill my goals. That is why I want to take it to a crowdfunding platform. After raising the funds from there, I would be able to work on my ideas.

What will you do with the funds you receive? 

I will use $200 to make the product, $250 for marketing this product, and 70 $ for shipping and logistics.