This project started off as a simple woodworking project in high school, I designed, built, and furnished a 500mm x 500mm x 500mm timber cabinet with a hidden drawer inside. I continued working on this project in my other engineering class and successfully automated the drawer with an electric motor and other electrical components.
Initially, I built it so the drawer would open or close when someone knocked on the timber with their hand using a sound sensor. Over time I modified it and now, in 2021, I can open and close it from my Apple Watch or phone from anywhere in the world using NodeRed and Home Assistant software.
This project was actually my first Arduino project and has therefore been through a lot of re-writes. The software also contains other advanced features such as notifying you when someone is trying to manually open the draw, and also assisting the user when they want to close the draw by detecting when someone is trying to push the draw in, similar to how a CD reader automatically closes when you push on it.
If you are a student looking for ideas or advice on how to build something similar, feel free to look at the code and contact me if you have any questions.
I am still planning on adding a few things to it such as a locking feature that prevents the drawer from opening mechanically.
Feel free to check out my other open source content at LeehamElectronics
This project uses c++, c, and other technologies for the front end such as NodeRed, Home Assistant and MQTT. The physical product I built with laminated pine, Jarrah timber, and a little bit of Cypress pine for internal strength.