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Executive Summary

At UCSB, biking is a primary source of transportation for students. Due to the prevalence of bikes, bike thefts are also very common. Although many students use bike locks, they can often be unreliable and inconvenient for users. Specifically, cable bike locks are not durable and bike thieves often cut through them. The U-lock, a better alternative is also not ideal because it requires the user to hold a key and to reassemble the two piece lock with every use. The goal of this project is to produce a durable lock that is one piece and does not require a key. This way, the user will not be inconvenienced with having to take the lock apart as well as having to carry an extra responsibility of a key. This project was made specifically for a close friend who got his bike stolen. He indicated that the fact that he needed to remember his bike lock key was very inconvenient. The main design of this new auto bike lock utilizes a servo and multiple switches and LEDs. The body of the lock connects to the main shaft of the bike and has a mobile arm that locks on the bike rack with a specifically programmed code. The mobile arm is mainly to keep the lock compact and allows the lock not to obstruct the user’s view when riding their bike. The code is set for a specific 6-digit pattern for the 6 different switches that are on the lock. It is not required to use every switch to allow for more possibilities of codes. With the correct pattern pressed with each of the switches, a green LED will light up and the servo will be activated to turn the lock 90 degrees. This simulates opening the lock. It is then locked when the same pattern is pressed again. When an incorrect pattern of switches is pressed, a red LED will light up to indicate that the code was not correct. Each switch also has a corresponding LED that lights up when the corresponding switch is pressed. This indicates to the user that they pressed that specific switch. In order to code for the switch patterns I used a similar project online that only lit up the green LED when the correct pattern was pressed. I changed the project by incorporating the servo rotation after the correct pattern was pressed. I also designed the lock and the rotating mechanism on my own. In this class, I learned the process of going from an idea to a sketch to an actual prototype. These steps to brainstorming and design are used by professional engineers and were very helpful in foreshadowing what a career as a future engineer will look like.